Possession
by hufflelit
Summary: As time goes by, Leah is forced to consider her relationship with Jacob and his young imprint.  Jacob and Nessie, as viewed through the unwilling and often completely irritated eyes of Leah Clearwater.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Just playing with Stephanie's toys.

* * *

**Possession**

In the days after Bella popped out her mini-monster, Leah found she had no idea where to go. She wanted to go home, but after weeks of sleeping in the forest, waking up every couple of hours to spell Seth and Jake, her bed felt weird, and La Push felt… unwelcoming.

Mom was furious, which Leah had to admit she had a right to be. Sam was furious, too, and he had absolutely no right to be. After everything, he still somehow thought he was enough her Alpha (or enough her boyfriend) to chew her out for leading Seth astray and terrifying Sue, and he'd actually laid into her for a full minute before she told him to go fuck himself and boss Emily around for once.

He'd started shaking then, like he was going to phase, and she'd stormed off, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of actually fighting her. Screw him – she wasn't in his pack. That wasn't actually as satisfying she'd thought it would be, but it was definitely still a relief.

It also wasn't very satisfying when Quil and Embry left Sam's pack to join up with Jake's. Leah had anticipated at least a little perverse joy at seeing Sam abandoned – picked second for _once_ – but she'd felt nothing.

Well, not nothing. It was a little annoying to have Quil and Embry, who were supposed to be Jacob's BFFs or whatever, jump on the Team Jake bandwagon a day late and a dollar short. Not to mention it was two more horny, adolescent boy-minds to put up with.

She was going to complain about it to Jake, but when Quil and Embry came to tell him they wanted to join, tails between their legs (metaphorically), he'd just said, "That's cool, guys – thanks. Leah's my Second," and she'd decided maybe not to argue this one.

So, there it was. The rez felt claustrophobic and lonely, and Jacob and Seth (and, grudgingly, but more and more, Embry and Quil) felt like home. It still felt right to be with Jacob, even if he had cheerfully imprinted on the Spawn of Satan, and now spent his days giving it pony rides and feeding it human blood in a sippy cup in the middle of the Cullen House of Horrors.

Leah sat on the lawn behind the mansion, her knees pulled up to her chin, watching Jacob play with the thing a few feet away.

It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and it would have been nice to sunbathe, but Leah couldn't relax here, and she definitely wasn't about to expose her bare neck anywhere near the leeches – pint-sized or otherwise.

The other Cullens had been out here earlier, sparkling in that way that made Leah's shoulders tense up to her ears. They'd trickled away slowly, in ones and twos – had to feed baby Bella, after all, and the doctor wanted to do research to make sure the spawn was growing right or whatever, and now it was just her, the Thing, and Jacob, who seemed like he'd decided to teach his imprint the word for everything, ever.

"That's a robin," he was saying. "It's a very common bird in North America."

Leah watched the Thing press its palm to Jacob's face. How he managed not to flinch was beyond her, and would have been beyond him just last week. The spawn didn't sparkle like her family – she _glowed_ in the sun; like a pearl or something. An evil, brainwashing pearl. From hell.

"Oh, there are lots of kinds of birds. Probably thousands. Crows, eagles, hawks, vultures, sparrows, gulls, penguins, ostriches, griffins–"

"That's not a real bird," Leah interrupted. Her voice was muffled because she couldn't get her jaw to unclench, but Jacob and the monster looked up at her. The Thing frowned and put its hand on Jake's face again.

"She's right; that one's not real," he said, still looking at Leah. "It's an imaginary bird. Like a harpy."

Leah rolled her eyes – like the harpy comment was anything new – and turned her face away.

"Oh, you're hungry?" Jake asked, his voice softening again. "Sure thing."

"Blondie!" he shouted towards the house. "Nessie's hungry!"

A few moments went by, and Barbie vamp didn't burst out the back door, scowling at the two werewolves who had the audacity to babysit her demon niece all afternoon as though they were yesterday's lunch dragged out of the grave. That was weird. Then Leah remembered the looks Blondie had been getting from her big, dopey husband all morning, and thought maybe it wasn't so weird after all.

"I think she and her pet man went to have some alone time," Leah muttered, and Jacob actually blushed. _Blushed?_ Where was the Jacob who would have curled his lip and snarled in disgust?

At least he rolled his eyes and said, "Jeez – don't these vamps ever do anything else?"

Leah raised her eyebrows at the Thing, who was wrapping a blade of grass around Jacob's fingers but obviously, creepily, listening to everything they were saying.

"Clearly not."

Jacob ignored her, or didn't get it.

"Well, I don't think Nessie needs to learn _that_ much biology today," he said, hopping to his feet and lifting the spawn into his arms. "I'll go rustle up some grub, kiddo. You stay here with Aunt Leah."

"_Don't_ call me that," Leah snapped. "And no!"

"Oh, come on, Leah, don't be such a wimp," Jacob said, bringing the Thing closer. Leah flinched away. "Just watch her for two seconds. And watch the teeth; when she gets hungry, she gets snappy."

He held the Thing close to her face, and Leah was forced to take it, just to get it back out at arms length.

"See?" he said, sounding idiotically proud of himself. "That's not so bad. Be right back, honey." He kissed the monster's ringlets and bounded towards the house.

Leah waited until she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore. Then she looked the spawn right in the eyes and whispered, as quietly and vehemently as she could, "I know you can understand me, and if you so much as think about biting me, I will pull out your baby teeth one by one."

The Thing's big brown eyes got wider, but she looked more surprised than scared, like she'd never expected anyone to talk to her like that in her life, and wasn't sure what to do now that someone had.

_You should have heard what they said about you before you were born, kid, _she thought, but didn't say it out loud. She wasn't _cruel. _

After a moment, the Thing reached for her face, and Leah held her out further.

"Uh-uh. You talk to me like a person, or not at all."

Thing huffed, then sniffled like she might cry. Leah felt her face heat up, realizing what would happen if Jacob came running out and asked what was wrong, and the Thing showed him…

Thing seemed to think better of the crying venture, and her face smoothed out into a haughty mask. God, she was creepy.

She pointed forcefully at the ground, glaring at Leah.

Leah was happy to oblige, and set the Thing down on the ground a few feet away.

The monster contented herself with trying to stand up for a while. She couldn't quite get it, and after a moment, she gave another frustrated huff.

She didn't even look that much like Bella, Leah thought, watching the leechlette try to balance on wobbly legs before falling on her butt. Leah wondered if she'd understand Jacob's imprint better if it at least _looked_ like Bella. If it would be easier to accept his new obsession if it had something in common with his old one.

But it didn't look like Bella. Except for the eyes, it looked like Edward.

"You need to use your stomach muscles," she said after a few more minutes. She hadn't meant to say anything, but it was annoying, watching a baby squirm around and grunt on the ground and not make any progress. "Not your legs."

Thing seemed to give it an honest try, and finally straightened up, only swaying a little. She turned a brilliant smile on Leah, who rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Leah," Thing said so clearly that Leah turned back in surprise.

The little viper beamed at her, then pointed at her chest.

"Jacob's," she declared. Leah's eyebrows shot up.

Thing turned her pudgy finger towards her own chest.

"Jacob's," she said again.

"That is _not_ something we have in common," Leah retorted, but then Jacob himself was bounding back out of the house, Blondie hot on his heels.

"It's my turn to feed her," Blondie snapped, yanking the blood-darkened sippy cup out of Jacob's hand. She scooped the demon up from the grass and put her glittering face down close to its glowing one. "Isn't that right, my angel?" she cooed, and Thing reached happily for her face.

Blondie watched whatever the Thing was showing her with an expression of mild surprise. Leah felt her face heat up again, wondering how long it would be before the vamp hive found out she'd threatened to remove their miracle baby's teeth.

The little parasite didn't seem like she was going to squawk yet, at least. When she took her hand off her aunt's face, Blondie just raised an eyebrow at Leah.

"Is she?" she asked the Thing, her voice dry. "I hadn't noticed."

"What?" Jacob asked, looking between Leah and the blonde. Leah busied herself with dusting imaginary grass clippings off her legs, and Blondie didn't answer.

"She'll need a nap this afternoon," Blondie said. "So there's no need for you two to hang around, scrounging for treats."

"What a tragedy," Leah snarled before Jacob could protest. "Can we go home now?"

"You know you don't have to –" Jacob began, but then he broke off and shook his head. "Yeah, we can go. I have a meeting with the Council and Sam at three, anyway. You should come with me."

"Okay," Leah said with a shrug, trying not to feel too pleased. Jeez, it was just a meeting. It wasn't like he was putting her in charge of anything. But it was nice to have him treat her like a partner, instead of just another pack member, and an annoying one at that. She could definitely get used to this Second thing.

"Aw, bye," Blondie said, all sugarcoated sarcasm.

"Bye, Flight Attendant Barbie," Jacob said, flicking Blondie's silk scarf out of the way as he leaned in to kiss the demon imprint.

"Bye, Nessie. See you later, okay?"

The Thing's eyes crinkled as she smiled around the nozzle of her cup, and she put her hand against Jake's face for a moment, then pulled it back to wave at them both.

Leah caught the Thing's eye by accident, and then jerked her head away and started jogging towards the woods, Jacob a few paces behind her. They undressed behind separate trees, then phased and started the run towards La Push together. Luckily, Jacob was too busy thinking about the Thing to notice Leah's stonewalled silence.

She listened unhappily to Jake's thoughts for a while. The way he saw the Thing was very different than the way Leah did. Jacob saw _Nessie_, a tiny, brilliant, pearly white angel, quick as a whip, excited to learn, sweet, loving, and adoring of him. He even thought it had a sense of humor, or at least that it understood and enjoyed his. He thought it was a real person.

Leah thought back to the Thing's comments earlier and snorted a bitter laugh through her snout.

_Jacob's_. Right. Leah might be Jacob's, but he belonged to the Thing, heart and soul. As if the demon didn't already know.

* * *

A/N: This is my first attempt at publishing _Twilight_ fanfic, and I'd love to try more. What did you think? Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I originally intended chapter 1 of _Possession_ to be a stand-alone one-shot, but a few people asked me to continue it, and it got me thinking. My plan now is to write non-sequential (but chronological) one-shots from Leah's point of view as she observes Jacob and Nessie's relationship. I hope you enjoy them.

**Disclaimer: **All SMeyer's. You know the drill.

* * *

Leah and Seth were in the woods, training. Jacob, Embry and Quil usually came too, but Jake was at Vamp Central (what a freaking shocker) and Embry and Quil were on the beach, enjoying the rare sunshine. Leah, however, couldn't forget the icy dread that had filled her stomach when she'd stared into the red eyes of the vampire king.

It had been almost six months since the swarm of leeches had drifted out of the woods like shadows, so suddenly that it felt like maybe they'd always been there. Waiting. Watching. She knew Seth still had nightmares, but he didn't wake up from them screaming, like she did.

They'd train. And the next time the Cullens decided to get freaky with one another, or called up an army of leeches, or did whatever they did to get the attention of the Italians, she'd be ready to defend her family.

Seth was creeping through the underbrush a hundred yards away. She couldn't see him, and she could just barely hear him, but she knew where he was.

_Sloppy, Seth_, she chided, then tore off after him.

He dodged her at the last minute and she skidded into a tree, and then another mind phased into theirs and she couldn't get up.

The presence was barely recognizable as Jacob. It was distraught – it was in _agony_ – and Leah cowered under its wordless screams as Seth yelped and howled from the pain.

It was a moment before she could understand: Nessie. A vampire. An attack.

She was off, Seth behind her, baying like a hunting dog as they streaked through the woods.

Jared and Paul were leaning against Paul's pickup, parked in the vacant gas station on the edge of the rez, sharing a beer. Their heads whipped around when they heard Seth coming, and they phased a second later, unable to communicate with Seth and Leah, but showing clearly that they were ready to fight for them.

Leah saw, in a flash, the splintered torso of a male bloodsucker, and Nessie Cullen lying pale on the forest floor, covered in blood. Then Jacob's mind disappeared from hers.

She picked up speed.

The three boys ran in loose formation behind her, Seth following her lead, Jared and Paul not having much choice. Leah could hear their panting and their thundering paws beating in time with their hearts as they crashed through the underbrush. It felt wildly wonderful to run with a pack again, to go into battle with them, and she wondered if those were her human feelings or her canine instincts.

They broke through a row of trees and spotted Jacob, running as fast as he could in human form while clutching a squirming, crying Nessie to his chest.

The wolves fell into formation around Jacob as he ran, sniffing the air for other predators. The Cullens had left their stink all over these woods, but the only new leech smell was the one all over Jacob and Nessie; the one Jacob had killed.

Nessie's eyes were screwed shut in obvious pain, and her skin was vamp white under the dirt and blood. She was biting her lips to keep from crying, but tears were clearing tracks in the grime on her cheeks, and every so often, she'd scream like she was burning.

Leah had no fondness for Nessie (or the Thing, as Leah called her), despite having to endure Jacob's love-sodden thoughts whenever he phased. But there was something terrifying and wrong about seeing the enigmatic little Thing so hurt and scared.

Jacob was starting to tire, his breath wheezing in his lungs, and Paul ran ahead, slowing down and finally stopping in a crouch in Jacob's way. Leah wasn't sure if Jacob would understand, as crazed as he looked right now, but he swung himself and Thing onto Paul's back without a moment's hesitation and hung on as Paul ran the last few miles to the Cullen house.

The Cullens had already made it across the stream in their backyard when the wolves arrived.

"What happened?" Edward demanded, plucking Thing from Jacob's arms as he swung off Paul's back.

Thing cried out, and Bella let out a dry sob as her pale hands flew over Thing's body, trying to find the source of all the blood.

Edward seemed to be getting all the information he needed from Jacob's mind, then he and the doctor were heading into the house, talking so fast Leah couldn't keep up. The other Cullens and Jacob followed them to the door, but Bella turned back and looked at the four wolves.

"Will you show Jasper and Emmett where it happened?" she asked, her voice shaking, her tearless face grim.

Seth yipped once and gave a puppyish bound towards the woods to show his eagerness to please.

_Cool it, leech lover_, Leah reprimanded, but her heart wasn't in it.

"We'll make sure there aren't others, Bella," Emmett promised, looking grim, and Leah couldn't resist a growl. As if she'd been stupid enough not to check!

"And we'll see if we can figure out where this one came from," Jasper added, sending a placating look at Leah. Not more than a look, though. He'd found out how the wolves felt about being "managed" by a tick.

_You should stay here, Leah_, Seth thought, leading the way into the woods. _So you can let us know what's going on. _

Leah groused, but didn't argue, and soon Seth, Paul and Jared were crashing through the woods back up the slope, the two Cullens white blurs behind them. The other bloodsuckers and Jacob were all inside with Thing, and Leah was alone.

She huffed and lay down, but was immediately back on her feet as she heard a scream from inside the house. A blur of voices and then the doctor, as stern as she'd ever heard him: "Everyone out! You too, Edward – I need to work!"

A door slamming. Another shriek of pain.

Leah heard a pair of feet thunder down the stairs inside the house, and then Jacob flung himself out the back door and onto the steps of the porch, his shoulders tight and hunched, his head in his hands.

Leah moved toward him and gave an uncertain growl.

"I can't be in there if they won't let me be with her," he muttered, his voice raw.

Thing screamed again, and Jacob gave a strangled groan, as if her pain caused him physical anguish. It occurred to Leah that maybe it did.

"This is all my fault!" Jacob exploded suddenly. "I should have smelled that fucking psycho leech a mile away; I should have seen him; I should have been _right there_, and not – he should never have been able to get his goddamned, filthy teeth in her…"

Leah growled again in sympathy.

"If I hadn't been with her," Jacob mumbled, his forehead pressed against his knee, "If someone else had been there instead… Alice would've seen this coming, and she'd be fine. She'd be fine."

Jacob had gone still, and Leah anxiously bumped his shoulder with her nose. She'd seen him like this once before, when Bella had been dying last year, but he hadn't blamed himself then. His anger had been directed at the Cullens, where it belonged. This self-fury would destroy him.

If Thing died… There were legends of imprints dying before their wolves. The wolf always died within days. Leah found herself praying fervently for Thing's recovery.

"He was just _there_," Jacob whispered, his eyes moving behind closed lids, like he was seeing it again. "It happened so fast. He was screaming something about immortal children, and I was too far away…" he trailed off as his voice broke, and he squeezed his eyes tighter.

"_He just kept biting her_," he hissed, his voice ragged. He clenched his fingers in his hair.

In the silence, Leah heard Nessie's sharp gasps of pain from inside. Her breathing was uneven, and Leah couldn't tell whether the gasps were getting further apart, and whether it was good or bad if they were. Could a half-vampire become a full vampire by being bitten? What would it do to Jacob to love a vampire? Would he even have a choice?

From a distance, Seth's thoughts echoed back to her.

_Jazz and Em think the vamp was alone. Just a crazy nomad, or something._

_Don't use their nicknames, you goofy idiot_, Leah thought back.

She felt Seth roll his eyes. _Paul and Jared went to get Embry and Quil._ _We're going to track the scent as far as we can. How are things there?_

Leah hesitated. _Not so good, Seth._

Seth swore. _If there are others, we'll find them, Leah_, he thought fiercely. _Even if they're not close._

Silence again.

Too much silence, Leah realized. Nessie's ragged gasps had stopped. Leah pricked up her ears, straining to hear without alerting Jacob. Fast vampire whispers. Then nothing.

A moment later, Barbie vamp appeared in the doorway. Leah growled a warning and Jacob's head whipped around. He sprang to his feet, looking up at the leech with desperation and tears in his eyes. Leah was almost embarrassed for him.

"She's fine," Blondie breathed, her fists balled at her sides. Her eyes were as hard as the rest of her.

Jacob made a choked sound, and then launched himself at the vampire. Leah crouched, ready to back him up, but then she realized that he'd put his arms around the blonde tick, and was _hugging_ her.

Leah froze, watching the blonde, waiting for her to rip Jacob's arms off, ready to tear her apart before she could try, but then, unbelievably, Blondie put her arms around Jacob and pulled his head onto her shoulder.

Jacob was actually crying now, and Blondie looked like she was trying to weep blood.

They stood like that for what felt to Leah like ages, Blondie's hands and face sparkling like diamonds, looking even more wrong against Jacob's sun-darkened back. She couldn't cry, of course, but Leah guessed Jacob was doing it for both of them – his sobs shook both their bodies; his agony was etched into her perfect face.

Leah realized, then, what these two had in common: they _needed_ Nessie, in a way that had little to do with who or what the little Thing was herself. Blondie's eternal desperation for a baby; Jacob's imprint – it all boiled down to the same thing.

Leah sat back on her haunches, watching her Alpha cry into the shoulder of a leech, and felt sick.

* * *

Leah's paws pounded the dirt as she ran, weaving through trees, pushing out a new perimeter around the Cullen Viper Pit. Great. Back on guard dog duty.

After Jacob had cried all over the blonde, the little Mama Vamp had come out and told Jacob that Thing was asking for him.

"Esme, I–" he'd choked, and Leah was afraid he was going to start bawling again, but then Esme had put her diamond hand on his shoulder and said,

"You saved her life, Jacob. Thank you."

Leah snorted. At least the vamps got that.

He'd been upstairs with Thing for ages, long enough that Emmett and Jasper had come back, ignoring Leah on their way into the house. They'd left Seth, Quil and Embry running laps, of course. Trust the Cullens to let the wolves do their dirty work. Sure, Seth said they'd just wanted to see Nessie, but it wasn't like the wolves didn't have families too. Or better things to do on a Saturday night.

_You really don't have to be here, Leah_, Jacob snapped. _ If you've got plans, feel free to leave. Don't let the treaty line hit you in the ass on the way out._

Leah ignored him, but tried to stop bitching. She could tell he was still freaking out, although Thing had managed to calm him down. Leah had seen it in his mind: Thing had been too weak to talk, but she'd used her freaky-ass powers to show him the attack from her point of view, and how Jacob had saved her. How she knew Jacob would always save her.

Ugh. But at least the leechlette knew what the dope needed to hear.

_How far do the bloodsuckers want us to go?_ she asked wearily after another couple miles.

Jacob hesitated, but she saw the answer in his mind.

_Aw, man, are you kidding me?_ Embry demanded, but he didn't sound half as pissed off as Leah was. Apparently, Edward had suggested they stop at the Hoh River. About twenty miles back.

_That's it, Jacob, we're going back_, Leah snarled, wheeling towards Forks. _If we've done enough for the bloodsucker, we've done enough._

_I'm with Leah on this one_, Seth thought, sounding exhausted. She felt him turn back, followed by Quil and Embry. _We can keep checking in the morning._

Jacob was agitated, still pressing forward. Leah wondered if he was pissed enough to make an Alpha order. But then –

_Come on, bro_, Quil wheedled. _Don't you want to see her?_

Leah felt Jacob's paws falter as he thought of the Thing. With a whine, he turned back too. Trust Quil to know what to say. The bond of the imprinted. Pussies.

_Whatever, Leah_, Quil growled. _At least we're headed home._

_Good boy, Quil_, Leah teased. _I owe you a doggie biscuit._

Seth and Embry laughed, then canned it as Quil growled again. Quil didn't get annoyed easily. The exhaustion was obviously getting to him.

_Sorry, guys_, Jacob said, chagrined.

_It's cool, Jake_, Seth assured him. _We all get it. Even Leah. Right, Lee?_

_Yeah, yeah._

They were silent most of the way back, trying to leave each other alone with their thoughts. Not that anyone's thoughts were a real mystery anymore. Food, girls, Claire, food, Xbox, girls, surfing, food, Nessie. With their thoughts taking up so much of her headspace, it was amazing Leah hadn't put on a couple dozen pounds. Or at least become a little bi-curious.

_Ugh!_ All four of them reacted at the same time.

_Oh, grow up_, Leah snapped, rolling her eyes, but allowing herself a bark of laughter. There wasn't much she could think of that freaked them out these days.

_Actually, I think that would be kinda hot._

_Watch it, Call – that's my sister. _

As they got closer to town, Seth, Embry and Quil said goodbye and veered toward La Push. Jacob and Leah headed for the mansion.

_You know you don't have to come with me_, Jacob told her. They were running shoulder to shoulder now, and he glanced at her out of the corners of his eyes. _I know you don't like it there._

_It's cool_, Leah assured him. _Someone needs to be there if you fall apart again._

Jacob snorted. _Yeah. Thanks._

Leah didn't say anything, but she knew he got it. As his Second, it was her job to take care of him. Especially when he was too big an idiot to take care of himself, and, say, imprinted on the half-leech lovechild of his arch-nemesis and undead ex-crush.

Jacob snorted again. _You've really got a way with words, you know that?_

Edward was waiting for them by the stream behind the mansion when they arrived. Jacob phased and got dressed behind a tree while Leah and the bloodsucker glared at each other.

"Leah," he greeted her in that superior way of his. Like just because he was being polite he was better than her, when it was obvious he wanted to take a bite out of her just as much as she wanted to take a bite out of him.

Edward rolled his eyes and turned to Jacob.

"Is she–"

"Sleeping," Edward interrupted. "She's going to be fine. Jacob…" he shook his head, and Jacob looked down, shifting uncomfortably. "How can I ever thank you? I'm beginning to lose track of how many times you've saved the women I love."

Jacob blushed and muttered something under his breath.

"If you hadn't been with her, it could have been much worse," Edward said firmly. He sighed.

"Playing in the woods with you… it's the only time I ever really see her be a child." His marble face almost managed to look sad. "I can't take that away from her. I won't. So I need to ask you for yet another favor."

Jacob looked up, but Edward had turned to Leah.

"Ask both of you, really. And the Council." He didn't look happy about it. "When you and Nessie go into the forest without one of my family present… can you stay on Quileute land?"

Leah physically recoiled, but Jacob, of course, was beside himself with joy. Idiot. Even Billy wouldn't go for this, forget about Old Quil or – Jesus – _Sam_.

But Jacob was already talking like it was a done deal, making plans for moving the treaty line so it was easier to access from the Cullens' place, blathering about how much Nessie was going to love First Beach, about teaching her to swim. Edward listened to it all with a tolerant, sad smile.

Leah almost felt sorry for him. After all his and Bella's bitching about the idea, they'd been right. Imprinting was pulling their daughter away from them. Just a few miles away for now, but in a few years she'd be grown up, and then…

Edward shot her a dark look and she shut up with a sigh. There was no point wasting her pity on Edward and Bella. If Jacob got his way, she'd be seeing a lot more of the Cullens. Especially the littlest one.

Oh, _joy_.

* * *

**A/N:** So, what did you think? I've got a couple plot bunnies drifting around, but are there any scenes you'd particularly like to see in later chapters? Thanks for sticking with me!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** First of all, thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed! I love hearing your thoughts on this story and the relationships in the books.

You might have noticed (or, fair enough, you might not) that I've changed the main characters of this story to Leah and Nessie, rather than Leah and Jacob. At the end of BD, I had two things I really wanted to know: 1) that Nessie was good enough for Jacob, and 2) that Leah was going to be happy. This story is my attempt to resolve those issues for myself. I don't want anyone to be disappointed or misled about my goals here; I'm not writing this to villify the Cullens, or to find some loophole in the imprint that lets Jacob and Leah be together (although I admit I nearly chucked BD out the window when I realized SMeyer had shut that down).

Anyway, just wanted to put all my cards on the table now, in case this isn't a story you're interested in reading, which I totally understand. If you're still with me - thank you! I'll try to make it worth your while.

Blackwater Crazziii: I definitely hear you. I did decide to let Nessie on Quileute land, if only because I wouldn't have much of a story otherwise! I hope it doesn't bother you too much, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on how I did it.

Spazzy Princess: Thanks for your suggestion! I'm working on a chapter with some Bella and Edward involvement. I think Leah would probably avoid them like the plague, but I've got an idea for a scenario even she can't get out of... :)

Everyone else: I hope you enjoy! And thanks again for reading.

* * *

"Please? Please? Please please please please please _please please_? Please? Please? Please?"

Leah glanced at Jake to see how he was holding up against the barrage. Honestly, she was impressed he hadn't cracked yet. He usually handed Thing whatever she wanted on a silver platter, then asked if he could get her anything else.

As for herself, she could have happily chucked Thing over a cliff if she'd thought Jacob would ever forgive her.

"Please?" Thing asked again. The word had lost all meaning a good three minutes ago.

"Pleeeeaaaase, Jake, please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Pl–"

"All _right_!" Jacob shouted at last.

Leah smirked. Three minutes, forty-four seconds. It was a personal best for him, but it was still pretty pathetic.

Thing cheered, not concerned in the slightest by Jacob's sorry-ass attempt at a glare. She threw her skinny white arms around his waist for a moment, then she was off, bouncing back and forth between the trees ahead of them.

"Stay where I can see you!" Jake hollered after her.

"Okay!" Thing's voice echoed back. The rustling leaves in the forest canopy showed her progress up the slope. Just visible between the trunks, Thing's pink bathing suit and white arms flashed in the green, woodsy gloom.

They tromped on in silence for a few moments before Jacob noticed her smirk.

"What?" he snapped. She'd never been intimidated by Jacob, who'd been a short, pretty-faced boy throughout Leah's childhood and adolescence, but he'd become even less menacing since his imprint. Thing made him soft as pudding. It was almost funny, when it wasn't just sad.

"I'm just wondering what we're gonna put on your tombstone once Bella kills you."

"Laugh it up," Jake muttered. "I'm this close to making Seth my Second."

Leah snorted, but shut up. His threat was empty, but she could go easy on him. He was going easy on her. More importantly, he was going easy on her in ways that didn't make it obvious he was going easy on her, and his subtle kindness was… actually pretty impressive. She didn't think any of the boys had it in them.

Jacob's new thoughtfulness didn't involve letting her off patrol or giving her fewer responsibilities – if anything, he'd given her more. Her patrol nights had spiked, and she was leading the pack in more drills than ever, much to Quil and Embry's annoyance. But Leah got the message. Jake had been where she was now, and he knew better than probably anybody that what Leah really wanted was a distraction.

Sam and Emily were getting married next weekend.

Leah slammed the door on that thought before it could step into her mind and make itself at home. It didn't hurt like it used to. She'd finally realized that she honestly didn't love Sam anymore. But the wedding was an unpleasant reminder of who she was, who she had been and, most of all, who she wasn't. A woman with career goals. A woman with a functioning uterus. A woman with a future.

Leah slammed that mental door, too.

It was why, when they'd all been down on the beach and Leah had said she wanted to go cliff-diving, Jacob had immediately offered to go with her. They went with buddies – that was pretty much the only rule of the sport. Unfortunately, when he'd said he would go, of course his personal parasite had to go too, and the pleading had started. The scrawny little tick was insufferable.

It hadn't actually taken much for the Council to allow Thing on the rez. Apparently everyone had turned leech-lover without Leah noticing. As long as none of the other Cullens set foot on tribal land, and Thing was accompanied by at least two wolves at all times, the little leechlette could go pretty much anywhere but the rez school. Since the decision had come down, Thing had been on the rez almost every two weeks.

None of the elders liked it, but it was hard to argue that Thing was actually dangerous. Just annoying as hell. That wasn't a crime, or they'd have to ban Claire from the rez, too.

Leah reminded herself that it was better to be in a pack with baby imprints than one with married imprints. Still. Claire kept putting Spaghettios in Leah's hair.

"You don't think she's too little, do you?" Jacob asked, face anxious. "To fight the undertow?"

Leah shrugged. Honestly, she thought Jake and the Cullens all babied Thing too much. The little freak had survived a full-on vamp attack. Wasn't like she was weak.

"She's a good swimmer. Plus, you'll be down there when she jumps."

"I guess…"

Leah huffed an impatient sigh. She definitely had _not_ come cliff-diving so she could be part of the never-ending Renesmee Cullen Fan Parade. Again.

"Look, if you're that worried, just jump with her."

Jacob looked surprised.

"Yeah," he agreed, nodding. "Yeah, I could do that." He turned to grin at her, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"You know, you're really good with kids," he said, and then froze, looking horrified, like she was going to freak out and phase, or throw a tree branch at him or something.

Honestly, she was too surprised to remember to hurt. She'd never thought of herself as good with kids. With the exception of Seth, who was only four years younger than her, she'd never even liked them. It was one of the things she and Sam used to fight about – he'd wanted kids right away, and she hadn't been sure if she ever did. Emily was the one who'd always wanted lots of babies.

It was kind of nice to have Jacob see that she had layers beneath her hard-ass pack persona, even if they weren't the same layers she saw. So she didn't say anything, and they tromped the rest of the way in silence.

When they got to the cliff, Thing was already there, standing at the extreme edge and staring down. She looked ridiculously out of place in her pink, ruffled bathing suit, her drying hair frizzing into red and blonde curls around her head.

Thing looked back at them, and Leah expected her to be terrified, but Thing had obviously inherited self-preservation from her mother, and was grinning so hard it looked like her face would crack.

"A seagull just flew past two yards below us," Thing beamed, skipping back to them. Leah noticed Jake tense as Thing bounced around so close to the cliff, but of course the little leech knew exactly what she was doing. "That's how high we are."

"Yes, it's very high," Jacob said, sounding more worried than exasperated. "Listen, we're gonna go first, okay? You sure you want to do this?"

Thing's tiny features shifted into a very grown-up expression of scorn.

"Of course."

"Okay."

Jacob held out his arms and she climbed into them without hesitation. Although Thing was physically about six, and mentally much older, Leah was sure she spent more time being carried than she did on her feet. Leah privately wondered how she could stand being treated like everyone's favorite doll. But maybe the little freak liked it that way.

The first time Jake had brought her onto the rez (accompanied by Seth, as per the Council's orders, and Chief Swan, as per no one's) she'd clung to Jacob with wide eyes, and Leah had tried to imagine what they all looked like to a one year old half-vamp who'd never been away from her family. Probably like huge, angry people with rough clothes and rough hands and rough houses – nothing at all like what she was used to.

It had been a few more visits before Thing was allowed to meet Claire. Leah had half expected the mini-vamp to do something completely inappropriate, like try to shake Claire's hand or drop a curtsy or something. But Thing had just surveyed the chubby toddler on Quil's knee with serious eyes before smiling and saying, "Hi, Claire. I'm Nessie. Do you want to color with me?" And although everyone had gasped and stepped forward, Thing hadn't flinched an inch when Claire had started coloring all over Thing's arms, fascinated by the way the markers looked on Thing's snow white skin.

Back on the cliff, Jake took a step towards the edge and Thing finally caught on.

"Wait!" she cried, trying to push away from him. "I want to do it myself!"

"Not this time," Jacob said, holding her tighter and stroking her hair to calm her down.

Thing noticed his phrasing immediately.

"Next time then?" she wheedled.

"We'll see."

Leah snorted. Unlike other children, for Thing, "we'll see," always meant, "yes."

Thing kissed Jacob swiftly on the cheek, then wrapped her white arms around his neck, ready to jump.

Jacob's face relaxed for a moment as he grinned down at Thing and held her tight.

"See you down there," he told Leah over his shoulder. "Take your time."

He took a few long steps back from the edge of the cliff.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Set!" Thing said, beaming and tightening her legs around his waist.

"Go!" they said together, and Leah managed to keep from rolling her eyes long enough to see Jacob sprint forward and drop over the edge of the cliff.

His war whoop echoed back, mingling with Thing's shriek of delight.

Leah couldn't hear their splash over the sound of the waves, so after a moment, she took a few steps forward and looked down.

Jacob and Thing were bobbing like tiny corks far below, Thing treading water as capably as any adult, although Jacob was keeping a loose hold on her arm.

Jake suddenly dipped his head below the surface of the water and then popped back up and spat a spray of water into Thing's face.

Leah could just hear Thing's squeal before she bobbed underwater herself and came up, managing to nail Jake with a stream of water despite his attempt to dodge. Jacob's loud, full-body laugh echoed up the rocks, and he and Thing splashed and sprayed each other, looking almost like a nice, normal family.

Leah shaded her eyes and looked towards the beach where the rest of their group was gathered on the sand. Quil and Embry were helping Claire build a sand castle (or Claire was helping them), Seth was wakeboarding with Brady and Collin, and Jared was curled up with Kim on her towel, probably slinging insults at everyone else. Almost like a nice, normal family.

She thought of Sam and Emily, about to make a real family of their own. She thought about her mom, and how Chief Swan was sniffing around their house way too much for Leah's comfort. She thought about the Cullens in their secluded, pristine mansion, and Edward and Bella in their sun-dappled cottage, wrapped up in each other forever.

All of them almost nice, normal families.

She looked back down in the water and saw Thing hanging onto Jake's shoulder as he pointed to things under the water, taking them both under so they could see the rock formations below.

The wind shifted, and Leah could hear tinny music from Embry's speakers on the beach. She guessed that, as far as freaks went, hers were a pretty good batch.

Thing squealed at something Jacob had done and splashed him again, and Leah thought that maybe Thing was part of their band of freaks now, too.

Then, before she had time to think about that too much, she took a long step back from the cliff, leapt forwards, and let herself fall.

* * *

**A/N**: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think (especially if there's something you want to see in future chapters)!


	4. Chapter 4

The morning of Sam and Emily's wedding dawned bright and warm. Like all things related to Sam and Emily, Leah was torn between being grudgingly happy for them and being royally pissed off.

In an unbelievably awkward conversation a few months back, Emily had hinted that she wanted Leah to be her maid of honor. Leah's stony silence had made Emily downsize the offer to attendant, which basically meant Leah was supposed to run around before the wedding to make sure Emily had everything she needed.

Leah could have been insulted, but it sounded like an okay deal. At least it would keep her busy and everyone else off her back.

By the time Leah dragged herself out of her room, Mom had already gone to the Tribal Center to help get things organized and Seth was on the couch in front of the TV, shoveling cereal into his mouth. He looked up at Leah and swallowed before offering a careful, "Hey."

"Hey," Leah said, dropping heavily onto the couch next to him.

There was a cash-for-gold infomercial on, and Leah watched it absently.

After Dad died, Seth had started turning the TV on to anything he could find, just to make the house less quiet. Leah guessed the habit had stuck.

"Do you want to, you know," Seth mumbled into his Apple Jacks, "_talk about it_ or…?"

"No," Leah bit out. He nodded, looking relieved.

"Well, I've got to go pick up the flowers from Forks. You going to the Tribal Center soon?"

"I guess," Leah said, staring at the TV. She let her eyes unfocus until she just saw shapes and colors instead of pictures and words.

Seth brought his cereal bowl to his lips, slurping down the last of the milk and soggy O's. He bounced to his feet and Leah heard him go to the kitchen and put his bowl in the sink. She didn't look up when his footsteps carried him back into the living room.

"So I'll see you at the thing," he said.

"Yep."

Seth bent down and wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind, clumsy and warm. Leah squeezed his wrist, and he kissed her cheek before letting go and heading out the door.

"Bye, Lee!" he called, his bouncy, cheerful self again. Leah almost had to smile.

She looked at the clock and groaned. It was time to go.

* * *

Seth had taken their only car, but it wouldn't take her long to walk to the Center.

Mom had offered to buy her a new dress for today, but Leah had plenty of dresses she never got to wear anymore. She dragged one of them on, ran her fingers through her cropped hair (which looked the same pretty much no matter what she did with it) and tossed her shoes and some bottled water into a bag before heading out.

It was a nice day, so she left the door open and just closed the screen. It wasn't like they had to worry about burglars; there were fewer than 400 people on the rez, and most of them would be at the wedding.

The walk did her good. She let herself drift away on the roar of the ocean and the cool, salty breeze. Too soon, she reached the Tribal Center and her sense of calm went straight to hell as she was engulfed by a swarm of people.

"The chairs go in rows starting here," Mom was instructing a team of Quileute and Makah boys. The Makah teens looked ridiculously shrimpy next to the Quileutes, who towered over them, smugly balancing a handful of folding chairs on each arm. Embry greeted Leah with a nod and a grin, but Jared only met her eyes for a second before looking quickly away.

He wasn't the only one. Nice to know her part in this beautiful romance hadn't been forgotten.

People were talking and calling and shouting to each other, bustling around and getting in everyone else's way, undoing work that had just been done and basically being as annoying and useless as a big crowd of people always were.

Leah spotted her cousin Anne trying to keep Claire from ruining her white flower girl dress, which some idiot had decided to put her in already, but Claire kept trying to get away to Quil, who was helping lug tables. Quil would run over to reassure her, but then he'd get called away again and Claire would shriek and pound her fists against Anne's chest until Quil dashed back over, looking increasingly harried.

When she was sure she couldn't take it anymore, Leah forced herself to go inside to Emily.

She wasn't hard to find. Mom and Aunt Ruth had taken over one of the smaller meeting rooms for Em and her three bridesmaids: Rachel, Kim and Julie, a Makah girl Leah had met once or twice. Anne would've been maid of honor, but she had to help Claire make it down the aisle without eating her flower petals or something.

"Hey, Em," she said. She cleared her throat and tried to make her tone less aggressive. "Need anything?"

"Oh, Leah, I'm so glad you're here," Emily said, breaking into a warm smile. As her cheeks stretched, the scars lining her face creased and twisted, tugging at her right eyelid. Leah felt the long-familiar throb of pity-tinged resentment and swallowed hard.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur of getting water for Emily, running messages to Mom, Aunt Ruth and Sam (via Paul), trying to get the dirt out of Claire's dress when she finally broke away from Anne and fell flat on her face, making sure there were enough bouquets for Emily and her bridesmaids, and then sending Seth back to Forks when there weren't, until Emily finally put on her dress and Julie did her best to cover up Em's scars and it was time for Leah to go find her seat in the crowd and watch her cousin marry her ex-boyfriend and clap along with everyone else.

Instead, she made a beeline for the back of the Tribal Center. She headed past the flowers and chairs and the crowds of everyone she knew until she was alone and free to slouch down behind the brick wall of the Center where she hoped no one would find her until it was all over.

Of course, since she was Leah frigging Clearwater, that was too much to ask.

She didn't bother to look up as a shadow fell across her legs. She knew his footsteps and his smell better than she'd like.

"Hey," Jacob said carefully, fidgeting at her side.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Leah snapped. She glanced up to see him looking oversized and awkward in a suit and tie. He hesitated and Leah turned away, waiting for him to take the hint and leave.

Instead, he sat down next to her and started untying his shoes. Leah glared at him in irritation.

"I meant somewhere not _here_," she ground out.

"Hey, I'm just avoiding the mosh pit out front," he said, kicking off one shoe with a sigh of relief and starting on the other. "Not my fault this is the only quiet spot in the whole place."

"Whatever," Leah spat, folding her arms and scowling into the forest.

Jacob peeled off his socks, sighing contentedly as he flexed his toes. Leah watched him out of the corner of her eye.

"If you're trying to get me to go out there–"

"I'm not," Jacob interrupted. "Going to your ex's wedding: not generally a good idea."

Leah had witnessed Jacob's nuclear meltdown at Bella's wedding in the minds of several pack members. Real classy.

"I can control myself, thank you very much," she snapped.

"I know."

"Good."

Jacob was trying to undo his tie and didn't respond. Leah watched him for another moment and then turned away.

She'd barely seen him at all since the beach last weekend. To no one's surprise but Jacob's, Bella and Edward had gone insane when they found out Thing had gone cliff-diving. The tick tyke was restricted to Vamp Manor until further notice, and although they hadn't had the heart to ban Jacob from seeing her completely, he was restricted to hour-long visits once a day for two weeks.

Leah thought it was sick. Where the hell did Bella and Edward get off punishing Jacob like he was their child or something?

She hadn't said that to Jacob, of course. What she'd said was, "I told you so." Jacob had told her to go to hell and they hadn't spoken since.

Leah knew he wasn't actually mad at her. As he sat there making increasingly desperate attempts to undo his tie, she sort of wished he was.

"So, what, you don't go to weddings now?" she demanded. "The memories too painful? Or is it just driving you crazy to see Quil with Claire?"

Jacob gave her a dark look.

"Screw you, Leah," he said, more calmly than she'd hoped. "You can't chase me off that easy."

He yanked on his tie and it snapped around his neck like a noose. Jacob gagged and Leah had to laugh.

"These goddamn clothes are trying to kill me," he growled, trying to ease the tie away from his neck without shredding it.

"Better than a leech trying to kill you."

Leah expected him to ignore her, like he ignored all her vamp jibes these days. Instead, he snorted.

"Not much difference. They both go for the throat."

Leah laughed again, an easier sound this time, and leaned over to help him.

"Jesus," she said, swatting his hands away and squinting at the knot he'd made. "Did a Navy Seal tie this thing?"

"No, I did."

"On second thought, it looks more like a Cub Scout knot," Leah said, picking at the tie until it loosened.

"I'll be sure to get a badge for it." Jacob reached up to pull the thing off, then crumpled it into a ball and tossed it after his shoes. "Thanks."

Leah sat back against the wall. "Sure, sure."

Jacob grinned at her before she realized she was parroting him, and she rolled her eyes, annoyed.

"So," Jacob said a few silent minutes later. Drums pounded on the other side of the building. The ceremony was starting. "How are you doing?"

"Awesome. Peachy," she retorted. "Isn't it obvious?"

Jacob was silent. Squinting off into the trees, he finally said, "You're too good for him, you know."

Leah gave a short, humorless laugh.

"God, that's such a worn out crock of shit. If I were too _good_ for Sam, I'd still be _with_ him."

She felt tears burn the backs of her eyes and hated herself for it. She hated herself for opening up to Jacob at all.

She didn't even want Sam. Not really. She just wanted normal. There was no way Jacob, with his immortal soul mate and leech in-laws, could understand that.

"Yeah, you could be with Sam," Jacob agreed, still staring into the woods. "You could be the good little woman he comes home to every night, you could cook for the pack and clean up after them and hear about all the exciting things they were doing without you." He looked at her then. "That's not you, Leah."

Leah felt angry and a little breathless.

"It could've been me!" she snapped. "No one asked if that was what I wanted. It would've been nice to have a choice."

"Leah, none of us–"

"You don't get it!" Leah burst out, before he could tell her that none of them had chosen this, that they were all in the same boat – that was just another bullshit platitude she'd heard one too many times. "You guys get your imprints: a tiny little silver lining in this absolute shit-storm of a situation. I'm not going to get that – I'll _never_ get that. Genetic dead-end, remember? I have no options anymore."

Jacob's brow furrowed.

"You think you have no options just because you can't have a baby?"

"You don't get it," she snarled, looking away.

Jacob was silent, and she thought maybe he'd shut up now and leave her alone.

"Maybe I don't," he said after a while. The drums had stopped, and one of the elders was chanting a prayer. "But Leah, you have options. Do you want to leave? Go to college or something? Because you should, if you want to – you don't have to stay here just for the pack."

Leah jerked like she'd been stung. Leaving the pack might have been an option for him when Bella had made him so sick he couldn't think straight. It would never be an option for her. She may not have wanted this, but they were bound together now: her, Seth, Jacob, Quil and Embry. They were hers. Leaving them would be the worst kind of loss.

They sat together in silence, listening to the sounds from the other side of the building: the chants and music and Sam and Emily's quiet vows, drifting wordless on the wind.

"They're not sure if Nessie will be able have kids," Jacob said eventually.

Leah scowled. Of course – this had to be all about him. As usual.

"What do you want, a medal?"

"No," Jacob snapped. "That's not even – I just mean… not being able to have kids doesn't mean your life is over. It doesn't mean you can't, you know – meet someone and fall in love, or something." He blushed, apparently embarrassed by girly words like "love." God, he was such a _boy_. Leah felt an unexpected surge of affection.

"I know that, you dope."

She sort of did. Maybe. But ever since the phasing had started and she'd been plunged into this horrible new world of raw violence, animal instincts and intrusive telepathy, all anyone had talked about was protecting the tribe's future. That was what the wolves were for: to keep the tribe safe and create another generation of warriors who would do the same. Leah had no place in that chain.

Applause and drums let them know the ceremony was over. They'd have to go back soon.

"I'm sorry that it's hard for you," Jacob said at last. He said it slowly, like he was considering each word before letting it out. "But I'm really glad you're in my pack, Leah."

After a moment, he put an arm around her shoulders. Leah didn't shrug him off.

Together, they listened to the invisible crowd gathered around the happy couple on the other side of the building.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! As ever, reviews are extremely helpful (and hugely appreciated).


	5. Chapter 5

Leah looked up from the ballpoint tattoo she was doodling on her left arm to see Embry duck into the La Push General Store. He looked toward the register and grinned.

"Hey, Leah."

In between the chips and the jerky, Meg Foster glanced up from her inventory and gave Embry's bare chest a disapproving look.

"Hey, Embry, how's it going?" Leah made her voice friendlier than usual to piss off Meg. Meg was an okay boss, but she was patronizing as hell. Sometimes Leah liked to remind her that she wasn't just some rez girl who was going to get married and work here forever. She was independent. She ran with a "criminal element."

Leah took in Embry's dopey smile and pretty-boy hair cut. Oh, yeah. He was bad.

"Doing all right," Embry said, leaning against the counter. He stared intently around the little store, his eyes pausing on Meg, the storeroom door, the bathroom door, and the shadows behind the cooler. Leah had noticed how all the male wolves looked around like that: like they owned the whole rez and were conducting constant leech inspections. She knew she probably did it too, but she hoped she didn't look that arrogant.

"You're looking more Beiber-ish than usual, like that's possible," Leah commented as Embry swept his hair out of his eyes.

He made a very un-Beiber-ish face at her.

"Aw, don't be a bi- Beiber hater," he corrected himself, sliding a glance at Meg, who was eavesdropping and not bothering to hide it. Meg was friends with Embry's mom. Enough said.

"I'm sorry, would you prefer Zefron?"

Embry shifted so Meg couldn't see him give Leah the finger, and Leah bit back a grin.

"So, did you need something, or are you just gracing us lowly serfs with your presence?"

Embry made another face, this one making Leah wonder if he knew what "serfs" meant.

"Mom needed eggs," he told her, suddenly fascinated by the list of live bait prices behind her. "And, uh… you get off work soon, right?"

If she'd been her wolf, her ears would have pricked up.

"Something wrong?" she asked, too quietly for Meg to hear.

"No," he said quickly. "No, I just, uh…" He trailed off, mumbling something indistinct.

"You just, uh…?" Leah waited expectantly, but he wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Get your eggs," she ordered after a moment. Then, lower: "I'll get Meg to let me off early."

"Don't go to any trouble," Embry muttered anxiously. Leah just gave him a look and pushed him towards the coolers at the back of the store.

Bossing Embry around was easy. Now came the hard part.

"Meg," she said, approaching the older woman and ducking her head in what she hoped was a deferential way. "Embry says Mom needs my help at the Tribal Center. Do you think I could run over there real quick? I can make up the time tomorrow."

Meg pursed her lips and gave a sharp sigh through her nose, but Leah already knew she'd say yes. Of course, Leah would probably have to endure another lecture about how a nice girl like her shouldn't run around with boys like that, and why on Earth had she cut off all her beautiful hair, she'd been so pretty, blah, blah, blah. It was annoying as hell, but Leah could take it.

A few minutes later, Embry had bought a carton of eggs and they headed into the thin, gray drizzle outside.

Leah tilted her face back to catch the rain on her eyelids. After being cooped up in the stuffy store all morning, it was good to feel the cool ocean air on her skin.

Looking back down, she spotted Embry's feet and snorted.

"You're lucky Meg didn't chuck you out. Have you ever heard of 'no shirt, no shoes, no service'?"

Embry smirked.

"Didn't see a sign."

"So, what's going on?" Leah demanded, since he clearly wasn't going to tell her on his own. "Is Seth okay? Is Jake?"

"They're fine." He didn't sound all that happy about it. "Seth's at school. Jake's at the Cullens'. Quil's with Claire."

"Embry," Leah snapped, stopping dead. "Did you pull me out of work because you're _lonely_?"

Embry scuffed his toes in the sandy mud by the side of the road, and Leah knew she was right.

"Holy shit, Embry, are you kidding me?" She wasn't sure whether to laugh at him or be furious. Then he looked up at her and she suddenly didn't want to do either.

"_Yes_, I'm lonely, okay? My two best friends are in love with toddlers. I get bored. Sue me."

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" Leah asked after a moment. It wasn't like she could make Quil or Jake un-imprint. God, if only. Did Embry think that, as pack Second, it was somehow her job to deal with this?

Embry shrugged, back to scuffing his foot.

"I don't know, I mean… _we_ could hang out." He glanced up at her and then away again. "I mean, we're sort of friends, right?"

Leah stared at him, incredulous.

"This is the most pathetic thing you've ever done."

He shrugged again, looking more miserable than ever.

"I know."

She watched him for another moment.

"So, what do you want to do?"

Embry's smile was bright and relieved, and Leah half-smiled back. She wasn't about to wet herself with joy over being Embry's fourth choice. Still. Better than being no choice at all.

"Beach?" he suggested.

"Beach."

They walked in silence. Embry had always been the quiet one, she remembered. Quil had been the smart-ass, Jake the sweetheart, and Embry the shy one. Some girls her age had had crushes on one or another of them as they'd all grown up, but the three boys had always been too young to attract Leah's notice. She'd wanted an older man. Like Sam.

First Beach was nearly deserted. A few eco-tourists picked their way over the gray, rock-studded sand with driftwood walking sticks and heavy-duty windbreakers. Leah only felt a little smug as she and Embry strolled along the beach in shorts and bare feet, Embry carrying a dozen eggs in one hand. The wolf thing wasn't all bad.

They overtook the hikers quickly, and then it was just them, the surf and a few weather-stripped trees standing like skeletal sentinels at the gloomy forest's edge.

"So, you don't like the imprints?" Leah asked finally. That would make two of them.

"Hey, I like them fine," Embry said, defensively enough that Leah knew it was only half true. "I just don't want to spend every waking moment playing with My Little Ponies or listening to Nessie learn French."

"Can't argue with that."

Embry's free hand clenched into a fist as he squinted ahead.

"Can we talk about something else?"

"Sure." She paused. "How's your mom?"

Embry gave her a dark look.

"Jesus, Leah."

"You pick a subject, then," she snapped. She honestly wasn't trying to piss him off. She just wanted to understand where this weird attempt at friendship was coming from. And when it was likely to end.

Embry was still scowling.

"How are Emily and Sam?" he fired back.

"You know what–" Leah started, whirling on him.

He held up his hands submissively.

"Sorry, sorry. Dick move. I'm sorry." He looked sincere, and after a moment Leah huffed and continued walking, a little faster now. He fell into step beside her.

They were silent for so long that Leah wondered if he'd give up and find someone else to keep him company. They had to be the only two people in the world who could grow up together, fight vampires together and share each other's thoughts, and still not have anything to talk about.

"Do you like being a wolf?" Embry asked at last.

Leah thought about ignoring him, but he was looking at her like he expected a real answer.

"I guess," Leah said after a moment. It came out like a question, but she was still surprised to hear herself say it. "I like some parts," she amended quickly.

Embry squinted out at the slate gray ocean below the cloud gray sky.

"Yeah," he agreed after a moment. "Parts."

Leah stared at him. It had never occurred to her that Embry wasn't completely in love with the power and brotherhood of the pack. She'd never wanted power or brotherhood, and she'd definitely never wanted Sam or any other boy in her brain. No one had ever expected her to like phasing. But Embry…

He'd been one of the earliest phases, and had remained loyally in Sam and Jacob's shadows ever since. But now that Leah really thought about it, she realized Embry had almost as much reason to hate this as she did.

For one thing, the transformation had dragged up the question of his dad, a question he must have heard haunting the pack mind as they all tried to figure out which of their fathers had been unfaithful. He couldn't confront his mom about it because she didn't know he was a potentially immortal shape-shifter burdened with protecting his tribe from legendary monsters, meaning that she and Embry had been pulled further and further apart ever since his first phase. And now imprinting had made his two best friends ditch him for a couple preschoolers.

"Your life kinda blows," Leah announced into the silence.

To her surprise, Embry didn't get pissed. To her bigger surprise, he grinned at her.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Yours too."

Leah snorted a laugh, but he wasn't totally right. She had Mom and Seth. She had Jacob and… and her pack. Maybe she had Embry.

"It's not so bad," she said, looking at the ocean, the sand – at anything but him. She could feel his eyes on her face.

"Yeah," he agreed again, contradicting them both. "Neither is mine, I guess."

Embry grinned and gave her a tentative nudge with his elbow. Leah rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder.

Without a word, they turned back to the rez, walking in silence, side by side.

* * *

**A/N:** I've never thought much about Embry, but I kind of fell in love with him while writing this. What do you guys think? Are you happy with how I've depicted him here? Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay in posting! We've actually been having a summer here, and everyone's been outside, trying to soak up the sunlight before the weather remembers it's England. This chapter is longer than usual, and I hope it's worth the wait. Thank you very much for reading. I'd love to hear what you think!

* * *

Rebecca Black was coming back to town.

It was the sort of thing that passed for news in La Push, and Leah watched the frenzied activity leading up to her arrival with bemused indifference.

She and Becky had never been close – the twins were a few years older than Leah, and had their own group of friends – but the rez was small enough that everyone grew up more or less together.

Jacob was anxious. He was trying to pass it off as excitement, but Leah could tell that his feelings about his big sister's return were not all warm and fuzzy. She couldn't blame him: welcoming the sister who'd abandoned him at the age of fourteen to look after their crippled father had to be pretty complicated. Things had been tense enough when Rachel came back, although any Jacob/Rachel issues had quickly been eclipsed by very different Rachel/Paul issues.

Now the big day had finally arrived. Rachel and Paul were picking up Becky and her husband in Seattle and bringing them back for a surprise cookout at the Blacks' place. The whole rez was going to be there and, at Jacob's insistence, so was Nessie.

After an epic eight-month confinement for the cliff-diving stunt, the Cullens were finally letting Thing out of their sight again. As much as Leah had enjoyed the vamp-free months, she figured it was about damn time. Jake had been going to Leech Manor at least once a day, and would come back reeking so bad it was hard to tell his scent from a vampire's.

Leah wanted to be there for Jacob, but as bad as his situation with the Cullens – or Rebecca – might be, she had a much bigger problem. Right now, it was sitting in front of her TV, eating her chips, with its feet on _her_ coffee table.

"Charlie, will you give me a hand in here?"

Mom hadn't even finished asking before Chief Swan was halfway to the kitchen without so much as a backwards glance at the tied up Mariners game. He didn't even notice Leah's glare as he passed her in the hall.

That pissed her off. She was damn good at glaring.

Charlie murmured something that made Mom laugh, and Leah's lip curled. They hadn't kissed yet – as far as Leah knew – but it wasn't like everyone didn't know that was where this was headed.

Leah guessed it was one way to comfort a grieving widow. Some best friend. Dad would've been so touched.

"Keep out of that!" Mom's voice was warm and scolding, like when Dad used to steal gobs of cake batter behind her back. Charlie's answering laugh was loud, but somehow… intimate. Leah suppressed a shudder.

Charlie had showed up earlier during lunch, and Seth had bolted for the door a few minutes later, his cheeks bulging with ham and cheese. "Visiting the Cullens," he'd mumbled, which pleased Charlie, who didn't know that it really meant, "on backup leechlette duty." Thing still needed a two-wolf escort to enter Quileute land, and Seth was all too happy to volunteer, especially when it meant missing Mom and Chief Swan make googly eyes at each other.

Of course, Seth pretended not to notice the eyes. Or the smiles. Or the whispers, or the touches.

That was fine. Leah could notice enough for the both of them.

She heard Embry's tired old engine before his car turned onto their road, and she was out the door as qickly as she could say, "bye, Mom."

As Leah slid into the passenger seat, Embry smirked and nodded to the Chief's patrol car.

"You sure you want to leave them alone?"

Leah scowled. "Just get us out of here before Chief Swan starts humping my mom's leg."

"You know," Embry said, pulling out of the driveway, "I hear a sharp tap on the nose with a rolled up newspaper can cure that."

"That only works on you guys."

Embry leered.

"Hasn't worked on me."

Leah snorted and cuffed his shoulder.

"At least you're housebroken. I'll take what I can get."

"Seen Jake?"

"Not since yesterday. Think he spent the night there."

They exchanged a horrified look. How anyone could sleep surrounded by _leeches_ was beyond her. Embry too. It was nice to see eye to eye with someone.

"I told Quil we'd pick up him and Claire," Embry told her, then hesitated. "They're at Sam and Em's."

"Fine."

Leah wondered how long it would be before people could mention Sam and Emily around her without wincing. No one felt awkward talking about Bella in front of Jacob anymore. Maybe you had to imprint to convince people you were really over it. Yet another reason why her imprint-less state blew chunks.

Quil and Claire were on the front porch when they rolled into the driveway, and Quil started helping Claire pack all her toys into her tiny backpack. Emily appeared at the door and waved, then gestured to the squalling baby on her hip to explain why she couldn't come out to them.

Leah waved back. She could feel Embry watching her, but she really was fine. Strangely enough, the birth of Andrew Uley – five months ago now – hadn't even stung. She was actually kind of relieved he wasn't hers. He wasn't a bad baby, as far as babies went. He just wasn't what Leah wanted right now. It felt good, realizing she didn't want what Emily had.

"Hey, guys!" Quil said, lifting Claire into the car and buckling her in.

"Hi, Embry," Claire said, her grin stretching from pigtail to pigtail. "Hi, Leah."

"Hey Claire, how's it going?" Embry asked with an easy smile. He was good with kids, Leah had discovered with no surprise. He seemed to like them. Even when they brainwashed his best friends.

"Good," Claire said, kicking her feet and hitting the back of Leah's seat. "I learned a joke, wanna hear?"

"Absolutely!"

Leah glanced into the rearview and saw Quil watching Claire like she'd invented sunlight.

"Knock, knock."

"Who's there?" the three wolves asked dutifully.

"Interrupting cow."

Embry snorted. Claire was leaning forward against her seatbelt, obviously eager for the punch line.

"Interrupting c–"

"MOO!" Claire yelled, so loudly that even Leah starting laughing, which made Embry laugh harder. Claire joined in, obviously thrilled with her success.

"I've got a joke, too, Claire," Embry said.

"Tell it!"

"A pirate walks into a bar," he began, and Quil punched the back of his seat.

"Another time," Embry promised Claire with a wink.

Claire folded her little arms and frowned at Quil.

"Quil," she said, her voice so exasperated that Leah had to laugh again.

"I know, I know," Quil said, holding up his hands with a smile. "I ruin all your fun."

* * *

There were already a few people milling around the Blacks' backyard when they arrived. Mom and Charlie were standing by the smoking grill, where Billy was parked wielding a spatula. Leah was relieved to see Mom already here. Hopefully nothing gross had gone on in the kitchen after she'd left.

Seth was setting up folding chairs with Jacob and… Nessie.

Leah had seen the little monster so much in Jacob's mind that she'd sort of forgotten she hadn't actually _seen_ Thing in person for eight months. Somehow, Jacob's memories hadn't prepared her for how much Thing had grown.

Eight months ago, she'd been roughly Claire-sized. Now, she was at least a head taller, and slimmer – her limbs were long and thin, and the baby fat had started to fade from her face and stomach. By Leah's estimate, she looked about eight.

There were other people in the yard, too – mostly older, from her parents' generation. Only Collin and Brady knew to give Thing a wide berth, and kept shooting her wary glances. Jacob hadn't noticed, or was pretending not to.

Seth called out a greeting and Thing and Jacob turned.

Leah was pretty sure Claire couldn't remember meeting Thing, but she was an outgoing kid, and she'd rushed forward at the sight of another little girl. But as Thing turned, something pulled Claire up short. Maybe it was the too-adult expression in Thing's eyes, or the slightly indulgent curve of her mouth as she smiled at Claire. Maybe the faint, white glow of her cheek where the sunlight hit it. Or maybe Claire was just intimidated by how pretty Thing was. And she _was_ pretty. Of course, half-bloodsucker, she sort of had to be.

Jacob rested a hand on Thing's shoulder, and Leah turned her eyes to his face. He looked calmer than she'd seen him in months – peaceful and happy, like everything was right with the world.

"Claire, do you remember my friend Nessie?" Jake asked. Thing was smiling encouragingly at Claire, but Leah noticed her lean against Jacob's leg for support.

Claire nodded so slowly she might as well have said no, then hid behind Quil's legs.

"Don't be shy, sweetheart," Quil soothed, crouching down to comfort her.

Leah, bored with playground politics, turned to Embry.

"Want to get a drink?"

"Sure."

Seth trailed them to the coolers by the side of the house.

"She's bigger," Embry remarked as he cracked open a Coke.

"Yeah, she's almost three," Seth said, gazing back toward Thing with a smile. "Pretty amazing, huh? She already speaks, like, five languages or something, and get this: she learned Quileute!"

Leah looked up sharply and Embry choked a little.

"She what?"

"Learned Quileute," Seth repeated, his voice almost defensive. Like Thing needed another cheerleader. "I mean, as much as she could from books and the Internet. Pretty cool, right?"

"Why would she do that?" Embry asked, his eyes on Thing. Claire had apparently relaxed, and was laying out all her toys for Thing to examine, explaining the significance of each one. Jacob and Quil were watching them with identical expressions of adoration.

"For Jake," Seth said, like it was obvious. "She wanted to surprise him."

Claire was talking animatedly about one of her Barbies. Thing looked interested, although she couldn't possibly have been. Leah found herself wondering what sort of toys Thing had, and if she'd ever had any.

"That's… kind of sweet," Embry said, glancing at Leah.

She groaned. "Not you too."

"You may as well get used to her, Leah," Seth said, back on Team Nessie.

She followed his gaze to Mom and Charlie, who were holding hands. Jesus. Could today get any weirder?

* * *

More people arrived, bringing casseroles and chips and flatbread and booze, and before long, the backyard was packed. Seth and Embry were taking turns holding Andrew Uley, Mom was chatting with the Lahotes, and Charlie was sitting with Jake and Quil, who were watching Thing plait Claire's hair into some kind of fancy French braid. Thing seemed to be talking as much as Claire now, and both of them were giggling, which made Jake's face shine like the moon.

Against her better judgment, Leah tried to imagine Thing learning Quileute – imagine the time she'd spent pouring over Internet searches and old books to piece together pronunciations and grammar that were beyond even some of the tribe. There was no other reason to do it but the one Seth had suggested. For Jacob.

Leah tried to wrap her head around the idea that Thing would want to do something for Jake just because. He'd been her pet dog since the day she was born, and the little parasite had to know he'd keep it up even if she treated him like crap. Which Leah had always believed she more or less did.

The whole Cullen viper nest had always asked too much of the wolves, and Jacob in particular. Bella was the worst of all. _Love me, Jacob. Don't hurt my boyfriend, Jacob. Let me die, Jacob. Save my life, Jacob._ Ugh. Leah had assumed her spawn would be the same way.

The sound of tires on gravel brought a hush over the crowd, and Leah's eyes found Jake, as they usually did. His face had gone rigid with anxiety, but for once, Leah wasn't the only one to notice. Thing's little white hand slid into his, and Jacob smiled down at her, his expression clearing.

The back door of Paul's Jeep opened, and the backyard erupted in a cheer of greeting as a dazed but grinning Becky Black emerged from the car, followed by her husband. He was a tall, skinny black guy with glasses, who to his credit was managing to keep smiling though the chaos. It was too loud for Leah to hear everything, but she caught Becky's exclamation of surprise when she realized the hulking giant in front of her was Jacob.

Becky and her husband were eventually allowed to sit down. Rachel, Billy and Jacob settled close by them as others came forward to offer food and conversation. Leah, more comfortable away from the din, hung back and watched. Jacob relaxed bit by bit, although Becky kept shooting him worried looks. Apparently Paul's size hadn't prepared her for the changes in her kid brother.

Embry came to stand next to her and offered her a piece of flatbread.

"No new imprints," he remarked. "That's a relief."

"What?"

He looked surprised.

"Didn't you hear about the betting? Jared was offering ten to one that someone would imprint on Becks. It'd make sense – Black genes and all."

Leah wondered why it hadn't occurred to her. Now that she thought about it, Becky Black was an obvious candidate for imprinting.

She watched Becky and her husband, noticing how she laced her fingers through his, how he watched her face and smiled when she did, and breathed a sigh of relief for her pack brothers.

"Yeah," she agreed. "It's lucky."

* * *

Seth gravitated over to them eventually, followed by Quil and Claire, then Mom and then Charlie and Thing.

It was weird to see the tick tyke without Jake, but of course he was still with his family, and it probably wouldn't help anything to introduce Rebecca to Nessie just yet.

Thing settled into a chair next to Charlie and ate the food he gave her without complaint. Leah had never seen the leechlette eat anything but blood before, and she didn't realize she was staring until Thing met her eyes. Leah looked away.

The afternoon passed quickly. Old Quil came to join them as Charlie went to take his turn talking to Becky and Solomon. Seth took the empty seat next to Thing.

"Ayásochid?" he asked her in Quileute. _How are you?_

Nessie beamed.

"Háchli, ho," she said: _I'm good_.

This caught Old Quil and Mom's attention, and they listened closely as Seth and Thing made basic conversation about the weather. Leah noticed Thing's accent improve the longer she listened to Seth.

After a few minutes, Old Quil cleared his throat and entered the conversation. Thing looked uncertain, apparently realizing for the first time that everyone in their group was watching her. Blushing, she told Old Quil that her family was well, thank you, and sent their regards to the Quileute. She stumbled a little over thanking him and Mom for letting her come to the party. Old Quil nodded, his face unreadable. After a moment, Mom smiled and told Thing she was welcome.

As if he'd sensed Thing's anxiety (which, Leah realized, he probably had), Jacob appeared a moment later.

"Hey Nessie, you want to come meet Becky?"

"Yes, please."

Jake scooped Thing into his arms, but Leah caught his whispered question as he carried her away.

"Was everyone being nice to you?"

Leah scowled. Like they couldn't be trusted to take care of a three year old? Of course, that wasn't exactly what Jacob had asked. But Seth had been nice to the viper, as always, and Jake could have a little more faith in the rest of them not to abuse his imprint.

* * *

As the sun began to set, Quil left to take Claire home, and Mom went to drop Old Quil at his place. Charlie headed out soon after, leaving Thing behind almost as reluctantly as he'd watched Mom leave. Embry went to talk to Jared and Kim, and Seth was raiding the leftover food with Collin and Brady.

Leah slouched down in her chair and let her eyes drift closed, enjoying the solitude. From Charlie's inappropriate visits to Becky's return, to Thing learning Quileute, to Old Quil speaking to a bloodsucker, it had been a truly weird day, and Leah was eager for it to be over.

"Hi, Leah."

Leah's eyes snapped open to find Thing a few feet away, chewing her lip and watching Leah with big, brown eyes.

"Hi," Leah answered after a moment.

"Can I sit with you?"

Leah glanced at Jacob, who was staring nervously after his imprint. When he met Leah's eyes, his face was a silent plea. With a sigh, Leah nodded. Jake's face relaxed a little, but he watched Thing until Becky called his attention back to their conversation.

"Sure, knock yourself out."

Thing sat next to her and Leah forced herself not to lean away. Thing smelled chemically sweet - like embalming fluids and peaches.

"Can I ask you a question?" Thing asked, fiddling with the hem of her dress. It was crisp and blue, and too nice for the occasion, although Leah guessed that was Pixie Leech's fault.

"You just did."

Thing smiled, seeming to interpret this as well-intentioned teasing.

"Why does Quil hang out with Claire?"

If it wasn't the last question Leah had expected, it was close, and she felt her temper flare. What the hell kind of question was that? Just because Claire wasn't as smart or mature as Thing, the little viper had no room to criticize Quil for liking her.

"Why does Jake hang out with _you_?" Leah retorted.

Thing looked down, her lower lip back between her teeth.

"I don't know," she mumbled, and Leah realized that this was the question Thing had really been asking.

Somehow, it was even more surprising. Hadn't the bloodsuckers raised Thing to believe that everyone adored her?

"He's my very best friend," Thing went on, staring at her small, expensive shoes. "But I know I'm too young to be his. I don't understand why he spends so much time with me."

Leah suddenly wished she was somewhere – anywhere – else. Brady looked like he'd been dared to eat an entire bag of marshmallows, and Seth was pounding him enthusiastically on the back as he choked. That looked like fun. At a stretch, she'd even prefer to be back home in the kitchen while Charlie checked out her mom's ass. Again.

"What do your parents say?" she asked.

Thing rolled her eyes.

"They don't know. Or they do, but they won't tell me. They just say that I'm 'very special.'"

She rolled her eyes again to show what she thought of that. Leah's lips twitched, but she managed not to smile.

"Right."

Thing's dark eyes turned earnest. "That's why I wanted to ask _you_."

Leah realized her mouth had dropped open, and closed it with a snap.

"You _what_?"

Thing actually wanted to talk to _her_? It made no sense; not when she could talk to her doting leech family, or her pervy Grandpa Swan, or Jacob or, hell – even Seth. Anyone but Leah, who had been nothing but hostile to the brainwashing parasite since day one. First Charlie, now his freaky granddaughter – did Leah's glares mean nothing anymore?

"I knew you'd be honest with me," Thing explained. "You were the only one who told me it wasn't nice to bite when I was little. Remember? No one else told me that – they thought I was too young to understand."

"Look," Leah said, trying to make her voice softer. She had no idea what the leech was talking about, but she was starting to get her point. "If you want to know why Jacob likes you, he's the one you need to ask."

Thing gave her a look that probably got her anything she wanted at home, and Leah felt her hackles rise.

"You can read his mind," Thing wheedled sweetly, and just like that, Leah's patience was shot.

"The pack mind isn't your personal gossip network," she hissed. "And it's bad enough without you and your leech family trying to steal what little dignity we have left after being your damn watchdogs for the last four years."

Thing looked surprised, then stricken.

"I'm sorry," she said, her eyes wide and worried. She really did look sorry, and Leah felt the sting of something like guilt.

Whatever. The parasite had asked for it.

"Everything okay over here?"

They both looked up to see Jacob loping toward them with a worried half-smile. Shit. He would be beyond pissed if he found out what she'd said to his precious little imprint. Leah wondered if there was any way she could convince Thing not to tattle on her.

"Yes," Thing lied, smooth as honey. "We were just talking."

She glanced at Leah, her eyes pleading, and Leah realized Thing was afraid _she_ would rat _her_ out for intruding on the pack mind. The little freak actually thought Jacob could ever be angry with her. She really didn't understand what she was to him.

"Yep," Leah agreed, turning her eyes to Jake's. But of course he was looking at Thing. "All good."

"Great," Jacob said, his teeth flashing white in the gathering dark. "Ready to go home, honey?"

"Yes, Jacob."

Thing took Jake's hand and headed towards the house. As they walked, she cast one look back at Leah and waved. After a second, Leah waved back.

And just like that, Leah and Thing shared a secret.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Thank you for your amazing comments! You guys make this so much fun. As always, I'd love to know what you think.

* * *

Leah was making a chip and salami sandwich when Mom came into the kitchen and crossed her arms in that way that said they were going to have a Talk.

"I'm supposed to be at work in, like, five minutes," Leah said, clutching her sandwich and edging toward the door. She had no frigging clue why she was in trouble, but it didn't matter; she recognized the look on her mother's face. It was a look that said, _you're not going to like what's about to happen to you, but for me it will be perversely satisfying_.

Mom rolled her eyes, but she uncrossed her arms and started fidgeting, looking almost as guilty as she had last week when she and Charlie had returned from their first official date and Leah had opened the front door to find them full-on making out under the porch light.

Oh, shit.

"We don't have to talk about you frenching Charlie," Leah promised. "I'm over it. Really. I probably won't even need that much therapy."

"Cool it, kiddo," Mom said, regaining her stern demeanor. "This discussion is not about my personal life."

"This is a discussion?" Leah asked dully. Great. Might as well take a seat.

Mom cleared he throat, preparing for something Leah was pretty sure she was going to hate.

"The Council is considering lowering some of the restrictions on Renesmee Cullen."

Leah was back on her feet in an instant.

"You're _what?_"

She had to hand it to her mom. Leah was at least a foot taller and about twenty times as strong, not to mention she turned into a wolf when seriously pissed, but Mom didn't even flinch at her daughter's outburst. She never had. Maybe that was why Leah had gotten so good at having them.

"You heard," Mom said, voice calm. "Are you going to listen, or do you need to shout at me first?"

Leah glowered for a moment before slumping back into her chair, her mind already spinning with dark images of the future. The leeches driving right onto Quileute land, dropping Thing off at Jake's door. The Cullens at the next cookout, maybe with a dead deer in tow. Or, worst of all, a Clearwater family dinner with Charlie and the monsters he called in-laws.

Leah's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Tell me this is not about you trying to get it on with the Chief."

"Leah Elizabeth!" Mom yelled, and Leah knew she'd gone too far. She'd inherited her mother's temper, and she recognized the signs of an incoming bitch-out. "I think I have been pretty damn lenient with you for the last few years, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes," Leah muttered to her knees, feeling about five years old.

"I have put up with your sullen behavior, your door-slamming, not to mention your rudeness to your brother and to Charlie and to me. I understand that things have been very hard for you since your dad died, but they've been pretty hellish for me too, and you can be as angry with me as you like, but as long as you live in this house, you will show respect to me and to any man I choose to date, _is that clear_?"

"Yes," Leah said again. Her stomach twisted with fury and resentment and guilt, but she didn't raise her eyes.

"Good. Glad we cleared that up." Mom seemed to gather herself before she went on. "In light of how well things have been going with Renesmee's visits these past few months, Old Quil suggested that she be allowed to cross the treaty line with only one escort. Billy agreed that it would be nice for Jacob to be able to look after her by himself. I said I'd have to check with you."

Leah's head snapped up to see Mom watching her with one eyebrow raised.

"You did?" she asked when it didn't seem like Mom was going to explain.

"I did. I couldn't think of a fairer judge of the situation."

"You didn't think very hard, then." Leah almost winced at her rudeness, but Mom just smiled.

"I was hoping you'd agree to spend some time with her and Jake. Decide what you think, and I'll make a recommendation to the Council."

Leah's mouth dropped open as the full injustice hit her.

"Wait. You want me to hang out with Jacob and Rosemary's baby?" she demanded. "On _purpose_?"

Mom laughed, and Leah ground her teeth.

"That's right," Mom half-sang, heading out of the kitchen. She was enjoying this way too much. "Don't make me regret it!"

Leah growled. Yeah, right. She'd regret it enough for the both of them.

* * *

"So what's up with you, Leah?" Jake asked as they pulled onto La Push Road and headed toward Forks.

"What?"

He gave her a look like she wasn't fooling him. For both their sakes, Leah really hoped she was.

"You didn't suddenly wake up with a burning desire to smell leech stink today, so what gives? I know you don't actually like Nessie. You don't hide it that well."

Leah fixed her eyes on the trees flicking past outside.

"Sorry," she muttered. She didn't owe the Cullens a damn thing, but she knew it hurt Jake that his pack loathed his imprint. Though Leah had to admit that "loathe" was too strong a word for whatever she felt for Thing these days. Bit by bit, Jacob was getting what he wanted. They'd be overrun by bloodsuckers soon enough.

Jake frowned, his eyes back on the road. "You should just give her a chance, Leah. You might actually like her. And I'm not just saying that because I think she's the best thing since gravity."

Leah smiled. She appreciated him making light of the imprint. Especially since she knew how serious it was for him.

Of course she couldn't tell Jake what she was really doing here. She'd make a fair and honest assessment of Thing, like Mom had asked, and if she didn't think the little half-breed was safe for the rez, she'd tell the Council so. And if she had her way, Jake wouldn't know about it until the next time they phased together. Maybe not even then, if she could keep her thoughts to herself.

"I am giving her a chance," she said instead, avoiding his eyes. "That's why I asked to come with you."

She felt Jacob's eyes on her face, and she could tell he wasn't buying it. He'd let her come along, though. That was all she needed.

Leah was only doing this for Jacob, and she guessed Mom knew that. Maybe that was what she meant by Leah being a fair judge – her hatred of all things Cullen was balanced by her fondness for Jake. It was up to Thing to tip the scales one way or another.

They reached the half-hidden entrance to the Cullens' property sooner than Leah would have liked, and then Leech Manor was looming up ahead, unchanged in the three years since Leah had spent sleepless nights running laps around its perimeter, waiting for the bloodsucker's spawn to chew its way of out of Bella's uterus.

"Remember Edward can hear your thoughts," Jacob warned, almost like he could hear hers. She supposed it wasn't that hard to guess what she was thinking, though, and she tried to wipe the grimace off her face.

They were barely out of car when the front door banged open and Thing streaked towards them, a blur of green and red and white.

"Jacob!" Thing's cry was jubilant as she threw herself into Jake's arms. He laughed and twirled her around as she hugged his neck and kissed his cheeks. Leah looked away.

"Hi, Leah," Thing said.

"Hi," Leah answered, suddenly uncomfortable. Thing looked different and it wasn't hard to tell why: she was relaxed here in a way she never was on the rez. Leah was on her territory now.

Thing looked at Jacob with a frown. After a moment, he kissed her cheek.

"No, we're staying here," he said, and Leah realized that Thing had been "talking" to him in that freaky-ass way of hers. "Leah just wanted to hang out with us today."

To her credit, Thing only looked blank for a moment before she smiled like nothing could make her happier than spending the day with someone who actively disliked her.

"Great!" she enthused, dropping back to the ground and taking Jake's hand. "Mom made tons of food."

As they entered the mansion, the sickly sweet stench of vampire hit Leah full on, so thick she could taste it on the back of her tongue.

"Uh, I already ate," Leah mumbled, trying not to gag. Jacob smirked at her.

Most of the vamps were gathered in the kitchen, which explained the concentrated stink. Leah tensed instinctively in the presence of so many enemies, but she forced herself to relax and follow Jacob into the room.

"Hey, Jake," Bella said with a smile. "Leah, it's good to see you again." She was stirring something on the stove, but Leah couldn't tell what it was – her sense of smell had apparently shut down in protest.

"Hey, Bells," Jake said. "Hey, guys." He plopped into one of the tall chairs at the kitchen island and pulled Thing onto his lap.

"Hey, bro," greeted the big vampire, whose name Leah had happily forgetten. His blonde wife just glowered.

"How is your family, Leah?" the mom one asked, her pale eyes warm. She had always been Leah's secret favorite of the clan, but Leah couldn't quite manage to return her smile. Everything about being here felt wrong.

"Fine," she muttered. Then, because Mom would've been appalled even if they were the undead, she added, "thanks."

"That smells delicious, love," Edward said, entering the room so fast that Leah almost didn't see him. He bent to kiss Bella's marble cheek.

Bella grinned and her teeth glinted like knives.

"No it doesn't," she teased. "It smells awful. But Jake seems to like it."

"I'd like it better if Rosalie served it to me," Jacob said, turning his best shit-eating grin on the blonde. Her face, if possible, got even deadlier.

"Don't push me, mutt," she growled. "This is hard enough as it is."

"That's what–"

"Jacob," Bella warned.

"She said!" Thing finished brightly.

"_Jacob!_"

Edward was glaring daggers and Bella was clearly horrified, but the big vampire roared with laughter, and Jacob's face – torn between triumph and shame – was pretty damn priceless. Leah snorted and bit her lips to keep from laughing out loud.

"Somebody's in trouble," the big leech taunted, his yellow eyes sparkling.

"Oh, please," the Pixie leech said, gliding into the room with her morose blond shadow. "Don't pretend to be innocent, Emmett – we all know you're the one who told her what "tool" means."

"That was you?" Bella cried, and Rosalie smacked Emmett upside the head with a sound like a breaking tree branch. The Pixie grinned at her husband, pleased with the havoc she'd caused, and they both disappeared up the stairs.

"Hey," Emmett complained, wincing and rubbing the back of his head. "Remember what Jacob did? He taught her "that's what she said"! We're mad at Jacob now."

Leah was pretty sure that Embry and Seth had taught Thing "that's what she said," although not on purpose. She'd have to tell them about this later – they'd be so proud.

"Jacob," Edward sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in that long-suffering way of his. Leah assumed he thought it looked human, and maybe it did, if you were eighty. Edward shot her a glare, but let his hand drop to his side. "I'm sure we don't have to have another discussion about age-appropriate subjects…?"

"I can think of some other discussions we'll be having," Bella said, her cat-like eyes narrowed.

Jake ducked his head and looked embarrassed until Bella relented and served him a bowl of stew. The vampire stench was turning Leah's stomach, but Jacob didn't seem to mind, and he had no trouble wolfing down three helpings while grilling Thing about her day.

The little leech had hopped off Jake's lap and into her own chair while he ate, and she sat between Leah and Jacob, chattering happily about everything she'd done since Jacob had left her last night.

"…And then Aunt Rose brushed my hair and I practiced the piano. This morning, we went hunting, and _I_ caught the biggest buck."

"Nice one," Jacob said, high-fiving her. "Did you outrun Edward?"

Thing grinned at her father where he stood with his arms around Bella, and they both smiled adoringly back.

"Only for a moment. But he let me."

"I didn't!" Edward protested with a smile. "You're just that fast." He reached out and tweaked Thing's nose, which she allowed with an affectionate grimace.

"Sure, sure."

Jacob laughed and ruffled Thing's hair.

"And then Auntie Alice helped me order new clothes, and then we watched _The Little Mermaid_," she said, suddenly a child again. "I know it's Claire's favorite, but I prefer _Mulan_."

"Why's that?" Jacob asked, listening like she was explaining the answer to some complex problem for the first and only time.

Thing gave him a look that very clearly said, _duh_. "Because she's the hero."

"Ah, of course."

"I always liked _Beauty and the Beast_," said Bella.

Jacob shot a significant look at Edward.

"Shock me, why don't you?"

Thing giggled and Jake winked at her. Leah was surprised the joke wasn't over Thing's head; obviously, she understood more than she'd ever let on at the rez.

Edward just chuckled and wrapped his arms around Bella, who rolled her eyes theatrically at Jacob.

It was hard to believe how different they all were from the last time she'd seen them together. Jake and the Cullens did more than just tolerate each other now, and Leah struggled to put this strange new relationship into words. As she watched Jacob exchanging jokes with Emmett and teasing Edward, being gracious to Esme and antagonistic to Rosalie and always, always watching Thing like he relied on her for his next breath, it dawned on her.

Jacob was part of their family. Not as much as he was part of the pack family, but maybe not so far off. She knew the Cullens pretended to be a family as part of their human charade, but it had never occurred to her that they actually _were_ one. But here they all were, joking and laughing and irritating each other, just like… like they were normal.

It was fucking weird.

She knew Jacob had been here nearly every single day since Nessie was born, but she'd assumed things had stayed more or less the same, with Bella and Edward just barely allowing the imprint and Jacob desperately trying to be their lapdog. She hadn't expected Esme to be asking about baby Andrew, or Bella to be laughing over Billy and Charlie's latest fishing misadventure, or Rosalie and Jacob to be exchanging grease monkey tips in between insults.

Leah shook herself. She was here to assess Renesmee. That was what Mom had asked her to do, and going home and saying, "did you know the leeches can smile like real people?" wasn't going to cut it.

She turned her focus to Thing and saw the littlest leech basking in the glow of her – okay, her _family's_ – happiness. Thing followed the grownups' conversation easily, throwing in comments and jokes that were far beyond her years. Emmett tried to pinch her cheeks once and she snapped at his fingers. She missed on purpose, but she put up with Emmett ribbing her for being too slow. She patiently accepted the kisses and cuddles and pats of her family, although Leah could tell she was old enough that the coddling was starting to grate. Most interesting of all, she hung on Jacob's every word.

Leah began to see why Thing had learned Quileute. As much as Jacob watched Thing and responded to her every move, she did the same to him. She smiled when he did, laughed at his jokes and eagerly sought his praise.

This, Leah realized, was what imprinting looked like halfway between the Quil-and-Claire stage and the Sam-and-Emily stage. Jacob was still Thing's best toy, but she was old enough now to realize that he was something else, too. Something special. A whole person, just for her.

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked as Leah bolted to her feet.

The vampires had fallen silent, watching her like cobras.

"Nothing," Leah managed. "I should just… get going, you know, leave you guys… yeah."

"Do you want me to–?"

"I can run," she cut him off. She tensed, trying to figure out the right etiquette for this moment. _Thanks for _not_ having me for lunch? I appreciate you not eating me? Sorry I'm so obviously trying not to gag on your disgusting leech stink?_

"Thanks," she said finally. "For having me."

"Any time," Esme said, her voice achingly sincere. Somehow that made it worse.

"See you later, Leah," Bella called after her retreating back.

Leah was outside and past the first row of trees before she let herself take a breath, glorying in the fresh smell of leech-free air.

"I'll only stink up your air for one more moment, I promise."

She whipped around to find Edward lounging against a tree like she'd kept him waiting all day.

Leah's mind flipped frantically through scenarios, but Edward only watched a few of them before he interrupted her with a laugh.

"Actually, I wanted to thank you, Leah."

When she could only gape at him, he went on.

"I know you haven't made your decision yet, but either way, it means a great deal to me – to all of us – that you'd consider allowing Nessie to become part of your family. As Jacob has become a part of ours."

Of course. He'd been picking through her brain the whole fucking time.

"That's not exactly what _we're_ considering," she snapped, emphasizing the plural so he'd know it wasn't just her decision. The leeches were under the scrutiny of the Council and both packs, just like always. Nothing had changed between them.

"I know," Edward said, and she wasn't sure exactly which of her thoughts he was responding to. Maybe all of them. "It still means a great deal."

"Okay," she said coldly, wishing he'd go away. But of course he knew that.

He gave her a sardonic smile.

"It was nice to see you, Leah," he said, pushing away from the tree with serpentine grace. "Give my regards to Seth."

* * *

When she got home, Mom was sitting cross-legged on the floor by the TV, surrounded by photos and scissors and paste.

"Hey," she called as Leah banged into the house. "Come give your opinion on this."

Leah dropped onto the floor next to her, hoping this would be easier than the last opinion she'd asked for.

"It's a photo montage of the graduates for _The Talking Raven_," Mom said, naming the tribal newsletter. "Tell me it's not too Seth-centric."

Leah looked at the array of grinning teens wrapped in ceremonial tribal blankets during QTS's tiny graduation ceremony last month. Seth had finally finished high school, just a year and a half late. It was better than a lot of the wolves had done, but then, a lot of the wolves didn't have Sue Clearwater for a mother.

"Your maternal pride stays secret for now," Leah assured her, turning her eyes to whatever crappy soap was on TV. She hesitated. "I went to Forks today."

Mom's head snapped around.

"And?"

Leah struggled for a few moments before she could spit it out.

"She won't put a toe out of line around Jake. So you can say what you want to the Council."

After a moment, Mom began stroking Leah's cropped hair.

"You okay?"

"Fine."

They sat in silence for a long time, letting the sounds of the TV and the surf and the gulls wash into the corners of the room.

"He's happy there," Leah said at last. "I guess that's a good thing."

"I guess so," Mom agreed softly.

Leah chewed her lips, willing her throat not to tighten and her eyes not to burn. It almost worked.

"When they leave, he'll go with them." Her voice didn't sound like hers, and she hated it, and hated herself for being stupid enough to care. Jacob had never been hers to keep, but somehow, she'd come to think the pack was. Without Jake, there was no pack. Just a bunch of angry delinquents who could turn into wolves. She'd been so worried about the leeches taking over La Push that she'd never stopped to consider what could be worse. Or even that anything could.

Leah wanted to fight. She didn't want to sulk here, trying not to cry, being petted by her mom while Jacob drifted away into some eternal, frozen future. She wanted to bite someone. Probably Jacob. Possibly Thing. Definitely Bella. In the face.

But she couldn't do any of that. So she just sat on the floor and let her mom stroke her hair as the TV glowed and the sun went down outside.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the angst - I promise things will be a bit brighter for Leah in the next chapter. Let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** You guys are fantastic. Thank you so much for sticking with this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter and, as always, would love to know what you think!

* * *

Leah was running.

Evergreens and boulders and streams flashed past, etched silver in the moonlight – lesser animals froze, paralyzed with fear as she thundered by – dirt sprayed up behind her paws like sandy geysers – and still she ran faster. Her lungs were more powerful as a wolf, designed for this kind of speed, and nothing in the world could hold her back when she ran on four legs, the wind tracing its cool fingers through her fur, sea salt and tree sap and frost heavy on the air.

She didn't stop until she reached the edge of the forest, and she sighed because it had come too soon.

A second later, Jake arrived next to her, wheezing like a pug.

_I won_, she informed him. It wasn't gloating if you'd earned it.

_I don't sound like a pug_, he argued, forcing his breathing back to normal. _And I'm still a better wrestler._

_And if we'd been wrestling, that would matter._

Jacob barked a laugh as he trotted behind a nearby tree to phase.

Leah took a moment to enjoy the quiet in her head. Her canine senses revealed a din of sounds and smells, but there was peace in solitude. The wolf had no responsibilities, jealousies or fears.

Leah took one last, deep breath and then phased as well. She pulled some cutoffs and a ragged tank top from the tree branch where she'd stashed them.

"You staying at home tonight?" she asked.

"Yep," Jake said, coming out from behind the tree with one hand covering his eyes. Leah scoffed, but she appreciated the gesture. "I've got an early morning at the garage tomorrow. You know. 'Cause of the promotion."

Leah tugged her shirt into place and stared at him.

"Shut up!" she cried, breaking into a grin.

Jake peeked between his fingers and then dropped his hand, grinning.

"Dowling told me on Friday," he said with a casual shrug, but Leah could tell he was thrilled. "Made me Assistant Manager."

"I can't believe you kept that from me, you asshole!" she said, shoving him as they stepped out from under the trees.

"I've gotten pretty good at keeping my thoughts to myself." Leah thought of Edward the Eavesdropper and scowled. "Plus, I wanted to see the look on your face."

Leah made an expression of complete disdain, and Jake laughed.

"Yep, that's the one."

"Seriously, Jacob, congratulations. Not that you didn't earn it – you work your ass off down there. Dowling would be a moron not to notice."

Jake bumped his shoulder against hers and she punched his arm. His way of thanking her and her way of telling him he was welcome. Who'd have ever thought they'd understand each other so well? The angry, foul-mouthed bitch and the mopey, heartbroken whiner. The pack's two biggest killjoys. Maybe it wasn't such a big surprise after all. Although Jake, at least, had moved on.

"How are things at the store?" he asked.

"Oh, you know. Fulfilling as ever." She said it lightly, not wanting to rain on his promotion parade, but of course he saw through her.

"Billy said your mom wants you take over managing the Tribal Center office when Maxine retires."

"Yeah." She looked away. If she worked at the T.C., she'd basically be working with her mom. Leah loved her mother fiercely, but until she could afford to move out, it was probably best for them to have a little space.

Jacob seemed to understand, and didn't push the issue.

"Well, I'll let you know if I hear about any jobs in Forks," he said as they reached her driveway. "Night, Leah."

"Night, Jake. Don't fuck up tomorrow."

He flicked her off, then turned the gesture into a wave as he jogged away.

Leah dawdled up the front walk. She could see a light on in the living room – Mom always waited up when Leah or Seth was on patrol – but she didn't go straight in.

As thrilled as she was for Jake – and of course she was – she couldn't help thinking about how pathetic her life was by comparison. Jacob had a job he loved and an imprint he would spend eternity with. As for her… Well. Everyone knew what Leah had.

* * *

She woke up in a bad mood the next morning, and nothing convinced her to change it as the day went on. One of the shipments at the store got fucked up, and the way Meg kept saying it wasn't Leah's fault made Leah pretty sure that Meg thought it was. Furious, she caught her finger in the register while slamming it shut, and even though it barely hurt and healed a second later, it pissed her off. And then there was the awful, panicky question that always attacked her when she was weakest: _what the hell am I doing with my life?_

By the time she stormed home at five, the last thing she needed was to see Seth in the kitchen filling out college applications. No, wait. The last thing she needed was to hear him complain about it.

"Ugh, this is so _stupid_!" Seth groaned, burying his face in his hands as Leah wrenched the fridge open. "Who the hell _cares_ what my earliest childhood memory is?"

"Not me," Leah snapped, opening a can of soda so violently that the whole top peeled off and Coke slopped down her arm. "Fuck!" she yelled, then froze, waiting for Mom to start shouting about language.

"She's at work," said Seth. Leah might've been relieved, but now Seth was watching her with his Concerned Brother face, and Seth's sympathy was even worse than Mom's lecturing. At least Mom didn't act like Leah was some girly emotion bomb that needed to be handled with extreme care.

"Wanna bitch about it?" Seth asked, and Leah almost smiled. At least he was learning _how_ to handle her.

"Not really." She dumped the shredded can in the sink and stuck her arm under the faucet until it stopped feeling sticky. Then she carefully opened another soda and sat down across from Seth.

She nodded at the pile of papers spread out between them. "Wanna bitch about it?"

Seth's forehead hit the table with a clunk and he started moaning about all of it: the liberal arts colleges and the state universities, the affirmative action quotas and the minority scholarships, the essay questions and the GPAs and the SATs and the ACTs, one long stream of misery that always ended the same way.

"It's so unfair! No one else has to go to college. Jake and Embry didn't even finish high school. Mom's not making you go, and you're supposed to be the smart one."

"You're the smart one, idiot," Leah told him, but it was something she had wondered herself. Did Mom just accept that it was too late for her? Did she know that Leah would never leave the pack as long as they needed her? Or did she sense, deep down, that a desk at the Tribal Center was as far as her daughter would ever go?

She looked up at the sound of Embry's engine and spotted his embarrassingly yellow car chugging up the road. Quil waved from the passenger seat as Embry parked, and a moment later they'd barged in, crowding the kitchen with their noise and bodies. Seth dumped his college applications under the table with obvious relief.

"Hey, is the ass man here yet?" Quil asked, dropping into the chair next to Seth.

Leah raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"The ass man," Embry repeated. His head and both arms were already buried in the fridge, but he leaned around the door to wink at her. "You know. The _Ass Man_."

Leah stared at him for a second before she got it. _Assistant Manager_.

"Jesus, you guys are five."

"Hey." Embry kicked the fridge door closed, his arms full of Tupperware. "Five and a _half_."

"My sense of humor is too advanced for a five year old," Quil agreed, cracking into a container of chicken.

"Dude, your sense of humor _is_ a five year old's," said Embry as he ripped into a chicken leg. He continued with his mouth full. "I swear to God, if I have to have one more conversation with you about _Dora the Explorer_, I'm sending you back to preschool."

"That show's legit," Quil retorted, but then got distracted by the discovery of cold pizza.

The only thing the boys liked better than eating was eating while talking, and soon Quil was telling them Claire's latest kindergarten drama.

"Her class is doing this Thanksgiving feast where all the kids have to dress up like Pilgrims or Indians and their moms send food or whatever. Anyway, Claire wanted to be a Pilgrim because the paper bonnets are better than the paper feathers–"

"Of course," Embry agreed, shooting a look at Leah. He'd obviously heard this story one too many times.

"But they said she had to be an Indian, because, you know."

"She is one?" Leah suggested.

Quil didn't see the humor.

"Well, yeah. So Mrs. Young storms in there all pissed and tells Mrs. Phillips – that's Claire's teacher – that she's being racist, and of course that freaks her out and she lets Claire be a Pilgrim, but now all the other kids that wanted to be Pilgrims are mad and Claire's upset, and it's like, for real? She's a kid. Just let her be a frigging Pilgrim."

"This'll cheer you up," Embry said, grinning as Jake's car rolled into the driveway. When Jake ducked through the door a moment later, the boys erupted in a cheerful chorus of greetings.

"Ass Man! How was it?"

"Good day, Ass Man?"

"How's it hanging, Ass Man?"

Jacob glared as he dropped into the seat beside Leah.

"Blow me."

The guys cracked up, and even Leah had to smile.

"How'd it go?" she asked. With five wolves crammed around the little table, there wasn't room to open the fridge, but Jake presented a foil-wrapped package that Seth tore into immediately.

"It was pretty good, once the other guys stopped calling me Ass Man."

Quil and Embry howled with laughter.

"Awesome!" Seth had peeled back the foil to reveal a mountain of brownies that only stank slightly of leech.

"Nessie and Bella brought them to the garage at lunch," Jacob said with a pleased grin. "Ness made them for me."

Leah refused to eat Cullen food on principle, but the guys were on the brownies in a second.

Another second and Embry and Quil were retching half-chewed brownie into their hands.

"Man. That's… so good," Seth said, swallowing with a grimace. He shot an anxious look at Jake.

Jacob glowered around at them with the full weight of the Alpha behind his eyes. After a moment, he smirked.

"Hm. Yeah. Maybe I should've told you she forgot the sugar."

"You prick," Embry growled.

Jacob threw back his head and laughed as Seth shoved the plate away in disgust.

"Been there, man," Quil said, shaking his head. "Claire made me Play-Doh cookies once. I'm lucky that shit's edible."

Leah shook her head, as disgusted as Seth, but for a different reason. Jacob and Quil would literally poison themselves if it would make their imprints smile. It was so fucking sick. Embry stared at his two best friends, his face tight. When his eyes met Leah's, she knew he was thinking the same thing.

Then, because Embry was a better friend than she was, he asked, "How old is the girl wonder these days?"

"Carlisle says eleven," Jake said, his smile fading.

Seth raised his eyebrows. "Seems like he was just saying ten."

"Yeah. About six months ago."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

Jacob thought about Thing as constantly as any imprinted wolf, but he rarely spoke about her, correctly judging that the pack didn't want to hear it. Leah wasn't sure how they were supposed to respond.

After a moment, Jake sighed, staring miserably at his hands. "It's just… it's all going so fast. Her childhood, I mean. We'll only get this time once, and I just feel like it's not enough. Like I'm wasting every moment I'm not with her."

He shot Leah a self-conscious look and clammed up.

Leah frowned, taken aback. Seth, Quil and even Embry were all nodding like they'd heard this before, but Leah sure as hell hadn't. Not outside of the distracted thoughts in Jake's mind, of course, and she tried to ignore those out of courtesy.

It wasn't that he was embarrassed to talk about Thing in front of all of them, she realized – just in front of _her_. Leah felt a hot burst of shame. The pack shared everything, but she'd never let him share this. Had never wanted any part of it.

"You're there for the stuff that matters," she offered lamely, knowing that it wasn't enough. Jacob half-smiled at her anyway.

"Right," Quil agreed. "It's normal to feel like it's going too fast. I feel that way about Claire all the time. I practically had a panic attack the other day when I realized that she's turning seven in two months. Even Paul and Jared feel it sometimes with Rach and Kim. But you'll have forever with her."

Literally. They all shuddered away from the thought.

"Those college applications?" Jacob asked, looking under the table at the mess of papers.

Seth groaned.

"Yeah. They suck ass."

"It's a good opportunity, man," Embry said lightly, the way Leah couldn't. "You're lucky."

"I guess."

"At least Mom let you take a year off," Leah pointed out, although there had never really been another option. It had been hard enough getting Seth to go to school and do his homework when all he'd wanted was to run with the pack, picking off the few leeches that were dumb enough to wander onto the Olympic Peninsula. The few dumb leeches they were allowed to attack, anyway.

"Yeah, well," Seth said, brightening, "maybe I'll get promoted at Surf's Up and Mom won't make me go."

"Of course you'll go," Jacob snapped, the Alpha so strong in his voice that the other four bowed their heads on instinct. Leah straightened up immediately and shot a withering look at Jacob.

Jake cleared his throat, blushing. "Sorry," he muttered. "But you're definitely going, Seth. At least one of us has to make it out of this place."

Embry and Quil nodded solemn agreement, and Seth, for once, shut up.

* * *

"Did you ever think about going to college?" Leah asked Embry.

They were walking together on First Beach, their bare feet tracing the frosty line of the surf. The sky was dark with clouds that hadn't decided whether to rain or snow.

Embry frowned and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets.

"I didn't graduate high school," he reminded her.

"I know. But before that. Before all this." She waved a hand to take in everything: the forest crisscrossed with wolf trails, the rundown reservation they guarded – and the two of them, walking alone on this desolate spit of frozen rock.

Embry shrugged, hunching down in his hooded t-shirt.

"My mom always thought I'd go. I guess I always thought I'd do what she wanted."

Embry hardly ever talked about his mom. Leah had assumed he just didn't want to, but now she wondered if, like Jacob, Embry was embarrassed to be open with her.

"How are things at home?" she forced out, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

"The same." Embry looked up suddenly, his eyes wide and anxious. "Are you thinking about going to college, Leah?"

Leah snorted. "Like I'm ever getting out of this place."

Embry nodded and looked away, but Leah swore she saw him smile.

They took this walk sometimes, just the two of them. They'd never made it exclusive, but they'd never invited the others. Leah figured they were the only two that really needed to escape.

"I never had any big plans," she told him. The wind was sharp and cold, and it whipped her hair into her face and made her eyes water. "Still don't. You know I'm turning twenty-three soon?"

"Yeah," Embry said slowly. He was squinting at her like he wasn't sure what she was about to turn into. "You're a little young for a midlife crisis, don't you think?"

Leah rolled her eyes. "How about just a life crisis? Can I have one of those?"

"Are you about to have a crisis?" Embry asked. "Because I'm not equipped for that. I think I'd need, like, tissues. And boobs."

Leah huffed and shook her head, but she couldn't help laughing. Embry gave her a relieved grin.

"I'm just tired of feeling like… I don't know, like I'm standing still. You know?" She rolled her eyes, this time at herself. Coherent, Clearwater.

But Embry was nodding. "I feel like that sometimes. I mean I'm a twenty-one-year-old high school dropout busboy who still gets in trouble for breaking curfew. But what are you gonna do?"

"Yeah," Leah sighed. Her lips were rough and chapped from the wind. She moistened them, but that just made the wind burn worse.

"No, I mean, what are you going to do?" Embry demanded. He'd stopped walking, and he was staring at her with uncomfortable intensity.

"What?" Leah snapped, her hackles rising at his tone.

"What are you going to do about it, Leah? Because you and I have gotten pretty good at bitching and moaning over the past couple years, but it hasn't made anything better for either of us."

He stepped closer, right into Leah's personal space, and she forced herself not to take a step back.

"So what are you going to do about it?" he asked again, so softly that his words were almost lost on the wind.

"There isn't anything to do," she retorted, crossing her arms. Jesus. If she wanted someone to get all proactive on her, she'd talk to Jake. She relied on Embry to just sulk and complain along with her.

But reliable Embry was invading her personal space and shaking his head with a smile Leah didn't like.

"You mean there's nothing to do that isn't _hard_. If you actually want to stop standing still, Leah, then you're the only one who can move your legs."

"Wow, Embry, I'm impressed," Leah snarled. "You actually read something, even if it was just a greeting card."

Embry leaned back on his heels, still wearing that weird, bitter smile.

"You're getting defensive, so I know I must be hitting a nerve. What are you scared of, Leah? Of trying something new and failing?"

"I'm not scared of anything," Leah snapped. She told herself she was yelling to be heard over the surf and the wind, and not to drown out Embry's stupid attempts at insight. "I'm pissed off! I'm stuck here forever because I have nowhere else to go. I'm going to live and die in that stupid General Store, or behind a desk at the Tribal Center, or cleaning rooms at the Oceanview. Alone, because you guys will all imprint and leave."

Embry had stopped smiling. His face was blank with shock, but at least he looked more like himself, and not that cynical, intrusive stranger that stood too close.

He swallowed hard. "Sounds pretty fucking scary to me."

Leah felt her face crumple and she turned away before he could see, marching off down the beach. He caught her in about second but she managed to compose herself before she turned around.

"Leah, wait," Embry begged. She glared at his hand where it gripped her elbow and he dropped her like she was on fire. "Listen, I… I want to show you something. It's kind of embarrassing, though, so… can you not tell anyone about it?"

Leah narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, Embry," she deadpanned. "Is it your penis?"

Embry laughed in his annoyingly infectious way and Leah found herself smiling along.

"You wish, Clearwater. Come on."

He took her to his place. Leah had only been to the Calls' house a handful of times in her life, and it felt weird to see Embry here instead of in the woods or on the beach or at one of the pack houses.

He led her through the shabby living room so fast that she got only snapshot impressions: a brown velvet couch with a cigarette burn in one arm; an array of dusty baby photos on the mantelpiece; an ornate woven basket hanging on chipped faux-wood paneling.

Then they were in Embry's room, which she could only identify by the pile of filthy denim and the unmade bed. Every other available space was crammed with paintings.

Leah turned a slow circle, trying to take in every image: the dappled forest light on a rare sunny day, the path leading up to the cliff at First Beach, the inside of Jake's garage with his motorcycle leaning against one wall, Quil and Claire's faces close together, glowing bronze in the firelight…

She realized her mouth was open and closed it with a snap.

Embry was standing by the door, his arms folded defensively across his chest. The room smelled like turpentine and oil paints – scents that Leah had come to associate with Embry without ever realizing what they were. There was no doubt about it: these were all his work.

"Embry," Leah croaked. "These are beautiful."

Embry uncrossed his arms and grinned.

"You like them? I just started messing around at first, but I don't know. They're kind of cool."

Leah noticed a stack of canvases by the foot of the bed and she looked to Embry for permission. He shrugged with an embarrassed smile, so she crouched and started flipping through them.

The Wolf Dance at sundown on First Beach. Emily gazing up at Sam, her scars outlined in stark shadows. The ocean just before a thunderstorm. Thing, much younger, asleep on Jacob's shoulder, his face buried in her curls. Leah in wolf form, her gray body tensed and powerful. Jacob's human face fused with his canine one, amber eyes glowing with Alpha authority. A pair of women's hands weaving a basket.

She'd been inside Embry's head before, but this was different. This was like looking inside his soul.

Embry was blushing and scuffing his foot against a patch of ratty gray carpet.

"Who else knows about these?"

"Just my mom. I mean, Jake and Quil know I paint, but they've never seen any of this stuff. It's just a hobby. You know. Something to keep me steady. That's my point, Leah. You've got to find something private – something that's just for you. Take control, even if it's just of some paint and a canvas. I promise it's not as hard as it sounds."

Leah didn't know what to say to that. She wasn't like Embry; she didn't have some sneak-attack surprise talent waiting to become her big "fuck you" to fate. So she just looked back at the paintings.

"Have you ever thought about selling these? They're good enough."

Embry snorted. "Yeah, right. Who's going to buy sentimental crap by some rez-head dropout?"

A car braked outside and the front door banged open a moment later.

"Embry Call!"

"Shit," Embry muttered, looking like a rabbit that had just remembered it was in a trap. "Stay here, okay?"

He ducked out of the room before Leah had time to agree. She heard him hurry through the living room and into another part of the house.

"I'm home, okay, stop screaming the house down."

Crap. She was going to hear every word of this. Leah wondered if it would be considered cowardly to climb out Embry's bedroom window.

"Don't take that tone with me," Mrs. Call snapped in a tone that Leah found a lot more objectionable than her son's. "Did I, or did I not, ask you to mow the lawn before I got home?"

"Uh…"

Leah stood frozen with embarrassment and maybe just a little morbid curiosity. She'd seen a few of Mrs. Call's rants in Embry's mind, but he always tried not to think about them when they were phased. Now she had a front row seat to Embry's own personal shit. And Mrs. Call was far from finished.

"You know, I don't ask for a lot, Embry. I let you live here, rent-free, I feed you, I clothe you, and I even let you blow half your paycheck on craft supplies, but God help me, when I ask you to do one tiny little thing you are too lazy or selfish or, I don't know, _stoned_ to even–"

A surge of fury shot through Leah's limbs and burned beneath her skin. She was actually shaking.

Nobody talked to her pack mate like that. Not even his own mother.

Leah grabbed a flannel shirt from the pile on the floor, trying not to gag as a pair of boxers dislodged from its folds. Quietly, she left Embry's room and stalked toward the raised voices in the kitchen.

"Jesus Christ, I'm sorry! I forgot, okay, I'll do it right now!"

"Don't you dare curse at me! Maybe that's how Jacob Black talks to his father, but don't you ever–"

"What the hell are you talking about? This has nothing to do with Jake! Why are you so obsessed with Jacob all the time?"

"Excuse me."

Both Calls whipped around to find Leah standing in the doorway, watching them through narrowed eyes.

"Embry was at the Tribal Center all morning helping me and Mom move some file cabinets around. Seth got an extra shift at the last minute and I asked Embry to pitch in. You left this," she added to Embry, holding out his shirt.

Embry stared at her, his dark eyes huge, but he took the shirt.

"I knocked," Leah told Mrs. Call, pointing over her shoulder. "I guess you didn't hear me. Sorry," she added, her voice dripping with insincerity.

"That's fine," Mrs. Call said, obviously trying to pull herself together into some semblance of a sane person. "That's fine, Leah, of course. Do you want something to eat?"

"No thanks." She raised her eyebrows at Embry.

"I'll walk you out," he offered, following her to the door.

"You didn't have to help me," he muttered once they were outside. "I can deal with her on my own."

"I noticed," Leah said. Her ears were still ringing with the aftershocks of anger. At least she'd stopped shaking. She didn't know how Embry did it every damn day. One thing was for sure: Leah was going straight home and hugging her mom. And then giving some serious thought to the therapeutic power of art. "Anyway, you're no good to me grounded."

Embry snorted.

"Hey, thanks," Leah said. She wasn't so great at thank yous. Apologies, either. This situation probably deserved both. Her problems seemed suddenly and embarrassingly small next to Embry's, and he'd still found a way to deal. It was… inspiring. Hopeful. In a greeting card kind of way. "You know, for showing me your stuff. I'd really like to see more of it."

"Aw, Leah," he said, grinning at her. "Do you mean my penis?"

Leah shook her head, biting the inside of her cheeks to keep from laughing.

"Keep dreaming, Call."

Embry laughed, loud and infectious.

"Yeah, Leah. You too."

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for reading! Concrit always welcome. The next chapter should have some Bella and Edward (assuming I can figure out how to write Bella and Edward...)


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Thank you so much for your awesome comments! This was a surprisingly difficult chapter to write, and your thoughts and concrit would be most welcome. And, as always, thank you for reading!

* * *

"Hey, sweetheart." Mom smiled at her over the back of Dad's beat-up old armchair.

"Jeez, sis, about time you got home," Seth said. He didn't exactly look like he'd been waiting up; he was draped across the couch with his legs dangling over one arm and his nose buried in a book. "Where were you?"

"Good to see you too, little bro."

Leah headed for the kitchen, choosing to ignore Seth's question. Where she'd been was the Forks Public Library, researching night classes at the University of Washington. She had an appointment next week in Seattle to talk to an advisor about applications for the Summer Quarter. It was no big deal, and she hadn't told anyone. There was no point freaking everyone out until she was sure. But it felt good to be doing something. Steadying, like Embry had said.

"We're having a family meeting," Seth called from the other room. "So get your butt in here, 'cause I'm supposed to be at Brady's in half an hour."

Leah hesitated, a carton of milk halfway to her mouth. No way had Mom found out about UW.

"It's not a big deal," Mom promised, seeing the look on Leah's face. "I just wanted to talk about our plans for Christmas Eve."

Leah snorted. "What plans?"

Christmas Eve in the Clearwater house generally consisted of cheap eggnog mixed with cheaper brandy and _The Muppet Christmas Carol_. Not exactly the stuff picture-book memories were made of.

"Exactly," Mom said, nodding a little too manically. Leah's eyes narrowed and even Seth put down his book to frown at Mom.

"Charlie invited us to spend Christmas Eve at his house this year."

Leah and Seth exchanged a confused look. Charlie had been part of their Christmas for the last four years, even before he and Mom started dating. Leah barely minded him anymore, and Seth flat-out liked the guy. Something else was up.

Suddenly, a horrible suspicion dawned on her.

"Who else is going to be there?" she growled.

"She _is_ his daughter, Leah," Mom began, but her next words were drowned out by the cries of her children.

"Sweet!" Seth exclaimed. "Will Nessie and Edward be there too?"

"The _hell_?" Leah snapped. "Mom, you cannot possibly want to be in an enclosed space with them."

"If Charlie hadn't accepted you two from day one, I wouldn't have let him set foot in this house," Mom pointed out, looking about as miserable as Leah felt. "I've never extended the same courtesy to Bella. She and her family are a part of Charlie's life, and I need to accept that. I won't force you to come along." Seth gave Leah a look that said he'd be happy to do the forcing, and Leah scowled at him. "But it would really mean a lot if you were there. For moral support."

Leah ground her teeth, but there was really nothing to think about. No way in hell was Sue Clearwater going into a house with two and a half vampires without Leah there to protect her.

* * *

Leah was pretty sure she was headed for the worst Christmas Eve since Mary and Joseph.

Mom had insisted they dress way nicer than usual, which Leah accepted without too much complaint. It was almost worth it to see Seth squirming as Mom cinched a tie around his neck, but she felt like a total asshat in a dress and heels.

They piled into the car at 6 o'clock, Leah clutching a bowl of salad and the last shreds of her dignity.

On the drive over, Seth tried to calm Mom down by telling her funny stories about the leeches, but somehow Mom didn't find the image of Emmett Cullen wandering into the mansion naked after a grizzly shredded his clothes all that hilarious. Finally, he shut up and settled for patting Mom's shoulder every so often.

They pulled into Charlie's driveway to find one of the Batmobiles already parked there.

"Here we go," Mom muttered under her breath. Seth gave her shoulder a final squeeze and they got out of the car.

They were halfway up the front walk when the door opened to reveal a grinning Charlie Swan.

"Hey, come on in," he called, stepping back and holding the door wide. Leah noticed the steadying hand he placed on Mom's waist, and was momentarily grateful.

Leech stench burned her nose as soon as she stepped into the house. Glancing into the living room, she saw Edward and Thing sitting still and pale as ice sculptures by the fire. It looked like they'd been playing chess before the Clearwaters' arrival, and a faint smile was frozen on Edward's face. Thing was sitting on the floor by his feet, her dark green dress pooled around her knees, her hair glowing copper in the firelight. After a quick glance at her father, she hopped up and bounded over with a bright smile.

"Hi guys!"

"Hey, kiddo," Seth said, pulling Thing into a hug. Leah was surprised to notice that Thing's head came up to Seth's chest now, and the last traces of baby fat were well and truly gone from her limbs.

"Merry Christmas!" she chirped, grinning at Leah and Sue.

Ice broken, Edward stood up to greet them, and Bella appeared from the kitchen to take the salad from Leah. Mom offered to help with the food, and Leah followed immediately.

"Dinner smells great, Bella," Mom said as the women (plus Charlie) arrived in the kitchen.

Bella grinned her razor-sharp smile and Mom managed not to flinch.

"Thanks! It's Grandma Swan's lasagna recipe, right, Dad?"

Charlie had been fluttering around the edges of the room, looking for an excuse to be there, but at Bella's question he stilled and put an arm around Mom's shoulders.

"Yep, made it every Saturday since I can remember."

"Charlie tried to make it for me once when I was ten," Bella added with a laugh. "He nearly set the oven on fire."

Leah saw some of the tension leave Mom's shoulders.

"Yeah, I've got a few scorch marks around my stove from Charlie being 'helpful,'" she told Bella with a wink. Bella laughed again.

Charlie gave a theatrical eye roll and held up his hands.

"All right, all right, I'm glad you gals are enjoying yourselves."

Leah ended up helping Charlie set the table while Mom made garlic bread and asked Bella about the research she was doing with Doctor Fang.

"I'd like to go to college once Renesmee is grown up and settled," she said. "In the meantime, Carlisle's an amazing teacher – working with him is almost like a medical internship in itself."

"Do you think Renesmee will be able to go to school?" Mom asked.

Bella glanced at Charlie, but he was digging in a drawer for extra silverware and didn't notice.

"We hope so. Once she's a little older."

To Leah's surprise, Mom actually reached out and patted Bella's marble hand.

"She's a wonderful little girl."

Bella's face lit up so beautifully it almost hurt to look at her.

The lasagna needed time to set, so they headed into the living room, where Thing was trying to teach Seth how to play chess. Seth had stripped off his tie and jacket and was sprawled across the carpet, his chin resting in his hands while Thing named the pieces. Edward got to his feet when they entered and waited for Leah and Sue to be seated before he sat again, resting a hand on Bella's knee.

"Can I move this one here?" Seth asked, sliding a piece five squares to the right.

"No!" Thing laughed, burying her face in her hands. "Ugh, you're worse than Jake! Okay, let's just play checkers."

"Yeah? You asked for it, Cullen – prepare to get schooled."

"All that posturing is going to make it even more humiliating when you lose to an eleven year old," Thing said, smirking as she set up the board.

Leah had noticed that Bella and Edward's eyes were unusually pale, meaning they'd eaten recently. They weren't likely to lose control, especially with their precious spawn nearby, and even Leah had to admit that Mom wasn't in any real danger here. Bit by bit, she started to relax.

Well, as much as she could with the smell of bleach burning her eyes and stupid heels squishing her feet. For the first time ever, Leah found herself wishing for crappy eggnog and muppets.

Mom, Charlie, Bella and Edward were making stilted conversation about rez gossip and police budget cuts, and Leah let her eyes settle on Seth and Thing. Seth was teaching Thing a checkers strategy Dad had taught them, and Thing was leaning forward, her dark curls spilling over one shoulder, bottom lip clamped between her teeth.

As she moved a piece on the board, Leah noticed the woven leather band around her wrist. Jacob's promise bracelet. Thing had outgrown the first one in a matter of months, but Jacob had made her another, and another, every year for her birthday. Leah wondered if Thing had figured out what it meant, and what she thought of it if she had.

Eventually, Bella declared the lasagna ready and they moved to the table. Dinner was uneventful. Leah discovered that she actually could eat around the leeches as long as she didn't breathe through her nose. It wasn't exactly fun, and she entertained herself by imagining Bella and Edward choking up pieces of lasagna later.

The over-21s had some wine with dinner, and Mom and Charlie actually drank it, so the mood was more relaxed as they headed back into the living room. Mom sat in Charlie's armchair and he perched on the arm next to her, so Leah sat by Seth, which meant sitting by Thing.

They'd given up on checkers, and Thing was showing Seth the features on her fancy new phone when it started to buzz. Thing glanced at the screen, then giggled and showed it to Seth. Seth cracked up, and Leah was about to shoot him an annoyed look when Thing handed the phone to her.

Leah stared at the little half-vamp, startled by her unexpected gesture. When Thing did nothing but smile, Leah glanced at the phone's screen.

_From: Jake_

_Not even xmas yet and Paul set the turkey on fire. If Rach doesn't kill him its a Christmas miracle._

Leah laughed in spite of herself.

"Nice phone," she offered.

"Thanks," Thing said with another bright smile, her thumbs flying across the screen. "Dad got it for me for my fourth birthday. It's got the best camera."

"What other apps do you have?" Seth asked. She seemed to have tons, and she started showing them to Seth, angling the phone so Leah could see too. Leah couldn't decide whether to ignore her or not, so she ended up paying half attention as she tried to figure out why Thing was being so nice to her.

"It's a long way from that Giga Pet, huh, Bells?" Charlie asked.

Bella looked blank for a moment, but then her eyes widened and she laughed, covering her face with her hands. Leah thought she'd be blushing if she still could.

"Oh jeez, I was obsessed with that thing! That's so embarrassing."

"Ah, you were only seven," Charlie grinned, waving her embarrassment aside. "I've got a photo around here somewhere of you sleeping with it on your pillow."

"No you don't," Bella scoffed. She looked suddenly wary. "C'mon, Charlie, no you don't."

Charlie pursed his lips, but his eyes were twinkling.

"I think it's in one of these albums…" he muttered, crouching by a bookcase near the hearth.

"Charlie, no one wants to see old photos of me," Bella said, her perfect voice strained.

"Edward does," Charlie said, flipping through an album.

"Certain–"

Bella glared and he fell silent.

"I'd like to see it, Grandpa," Thing piped up, going to help Charlie look.

"Renesmee," Bella grumbled, but it was obvious the leechlette had her mother wrapped around her little finger, just like everyone else.

"Here it is," Charlie announced, straightening.

Thing trailed him back to the couch where he settled into the gulf between Leah and Bella. Bella groaned as everyone else crowded around. Edward stroked her back, but he was obviously trying not to laugh.

"Mama, that's you?" Thing asked, incredulous. Leah guessed it was pretty hard to imagine. She might not have believed it herself if she hadn't remembered that pale, scrawny girl with freckles and an overbite from her own childhood. Leah had been about nine when Bella stopped visiting the rez. The Bella in these pictures was a couple years older, and looked awkward and withdrawn. She already scowled at cameras. Already cooked, too – there was a picture of her in a neon pink t-shirt and black bike shorts making pancakes in Charlie's kitchen.

At Thing's request, Charlie began flipping through the album. Leah wondered what it was like for him to hold these memories of his living, breathing little girl while her statue sat beside him, radiating cold.

"Hah!" Seth crowed, jabbing his finger at a photo of a glowering, red-faced Bella in a softball uniform. "You look awesome, Bella! Like you're about to punch Charlie in the face!"

"I still might," Bella said, raising an eyebrow at her dad, but he just laughed.

"That's from your little league days," he said fondly. "The team sorta made you their mascot once they realized you couldn't run the bases without tripping over them."

Edward, Mom and Seth cooed and crowed over the pictures while Charlie supplied a running commentary and Bella looked perpetually sheepish. Only Leah and Thing were silent. But while Leah fidgeted, bored, Thing hovered over the album, tracing each photo wither her fingers like she was committing it to memory.

Suddenly, she straightened up, eyes wide.

"Is that _Jacob_?"

Leah leaned in, interested in spite of herself. It was Jacob all right; about three years old and beaming triumphantly, his clothes and face covered in mud. Bella was squatting next to him, less muddy but no less pleased with herself, holding a mud pie out to the camera. She'd even made a fluted edge around the thing to make it more authentic. Jacob, less literal about the whole "pie" concept, was clutching a sloppy mess of mud and rocks. Judging by the dirt in his baby teeth, he'd just taken a bite out of it.

Seth collapsed onto the floor, convulsing with laughter. Mom and Charlie started reminiscing about what a little cutie Jake had been, which only made Seth laugh harder. Even Bella was smiling.

Edward, however, was watching Thing as she flipped intently through the rest of the album. When she didn't find any other photos of Jacob, she went back to staring at the mud picture.

After a moment, Edward reached out and stroked Thing's cheek, so fast that Leah was sure Mom and Charlie missed it. Of course Bella noticed, and she took Thing's hand, a question in her eyes. Thing smiled at her, but pulled her hand back and folded it in her lap. Bella's face flashed surprise and then hurt before resolving into its usual impassive mask.

The whole exchange was so weird that Leah wondered if she'd imagined it, until she realized that she'd just seen Thing refuse to show Bella her thoughts. Based on Bella's reaction, it was the first time.

Edward squeezed Bella's hand as Thing turned to Charlie, who was telling the story of Jake's first fishing trip.

"Poor kid got so upset at the sight of that salmon flopping around that he begged us to throw it back. Eighteen inches. I didn't know if Billy was going to laugh or cry." He chuckled. "'Course, Jake wasn't too upset to eat his dad's fish fry that night."

"Hey, you think I could get a copy of that photo, Charlie?" Seth asked, still laughing and wiping his eyes.

Mom started teasing Seth with stories from his childhood, and Leah excused herself to the bathroom before she could be next.

The vampire stink wasn't so bad upstairs. Leah opened the bathroom window and sat on the edge of the tub, pulling in a few glorious breaths of frosty winter air.

After a few minutes, she heard someone climbing the stairs. The footsteps were too quiet for Mom or Charlie and too loud for Bella or Edward. That left Seth and Thing, and since no one was pounding on the door and whining that they had to pee, it had to be Thing.

Leah scowled, but she closed the window and headed into the hall. It was empty, but when she glanced through the open door to her right, she saw Thing examining a bulletin board of photos in what could only have been Bella's old room.

Thing's back was to the door, and Leah thought about just ignoring her and heading downstairs, but then Thing said, "Hi, Leah," and she was stuck.

"What are you doing in here?" Leah asked, maybe a little rudely, considering it was Thing's grandfather's house.

Thing turned and Leah was startled by the unfamiliar expression on her face. She looked… worried. Sad, even. Leah didn't think Thing had been allowed to be sad a day in her life.

Thing was holding a photo out to her and Leah took a step forward to see it.

It was Jacob and Bella about five years back. Jacob was huge but smiling, his long hair pulled back at the nape of his neck. He was wearing a raincoat and a broad grin, and he was gazing down at Bella with undisguised adoration.

The photo could've been a study in contrasts. Where Jacob was tall, dark and happy, Bella was hunched, pale and miserable. Her brown eyes were dull, her smile so forced it looked like a grimace.

The photo was creased down the middle, and Leah wondered if Bella had folded it in half so that only Jacob showed. It seemed like the sort of mopey, self-loathing thing a girl like her would do.

Leah looked back at Thing.

"I knew they were friends," Thing mumbled, staring at the photo and running her fingers over its surface. "But I guess I never thought about them knowing each other before Mama met Daddy."

Shit. How did Leah keep getting herself into these messes? And more importantly, what weird signal was she giving off that made the leechlette think Leah had the slightest interest in her problems?

Of course, the trouble now was that over half the people downstairs could hear everything that was going on in this room, so it would be more than a little awkward if Leah just walked away.

That didn't keep her from shooting a wistful look at the door.

"They were really good friends, huh?" Thing asked, so quietly that Leah almost couldn't hear. She was trying to keep Bella and Seth from overhearing, Leah realized – there wasn't much she could do to keep Edward out. Against her will, Leah felt a pang of sympathy for the little freak.

"Yeah. But only for about a year before you were born."

Leah really didn't care about whatever tantrum Thing was throwing because Bella used to have her favorite toy. She just wanted Thing satisfied enough to stop asking awkward questions.

Thing nodded, considering this new information.

"Did they ever–"

"Look," Leah interrupted, backing toward the door, "I know you don't understand it, and honestly neither do I, but Jacob really likes you. You can analyze that all you want, but I'm going back downstairs."

Nessie looked surprised for a moment before she could manage her usual smile.

"Thanks, Leah," she said. She returned the photo to the bulletin board and walked to the door. Leah stepped back to let her out of the room, but Thing hesitated, staring at the floor.

"I'm really glad I can talk to you," she said at last, then turned and disappeared down the stairs.

Leah stared after her, dumbstruck and annoyed.

"Whatever," she finally snarled. But Thing was already gone.

* * *

It was a couple weeks into January before Leah saw Jacob alone.

The weather was crappy even for La Push, and the wind blew gales of sleet against the walls of Jake's garage. Jake's Rabbit was parked with its hood up and he was digging around the engine, doing repairs Leah didn't bother to understand. She'd wanted a quiet place to spend her day off, and Jake, despite his faults, knew how to share a silence.

Leah was reclining in the driver's seat, leafing through UW's course catalogue, and for a few hours, the only sounds were the clink of Jacob's tools, the rustling of paper, and the quiet static from an ancient radio on the workbench.

It had been great for a while, but Leah was starting to get restless. There had been a question gnawing at her since Christmas Eve, and she hated it. Leah didn't let things gnaw at her. No point bottling shit up – she tended to get it off her chest, quickly and loudly. But this question was a tricky one, which made it even more irritating.

_Don't be a pussy, Clearwater_, she scolded herself. _Just spit it out._

"So, how much does Nessie know about imprinting?" she finally asked, trying to sound casual. Thing's name felt weird in her mouth, and Leah wondered if she'd ever said it out loud before.

Jacob leaned slowly around the hood of the car to stare at her and Leah tried not to blush.

"What?"

"How much does she know?"

Jacob came out from behind the car and leaned against the workbench to stare at her some more. Leah fidgeted, annoyed. Jesus, it wasn't even a hard question.

"Why do you care?" Jacob asked. He didn't sound angry – just curious. Leah felt a surge of embarrassment.

"Fine," she snapped. "Don't answer me, whatever. I was just making conversation."

"Pretty weird topic," Jake remarked.

Leah turned back to her course catalogue, ignoring him. He didn't move, and Leah wondered if she was actually going to have to leave to get him to stop looking at her like she'd grown a second head.

"Not much," he finally said. Leah kept ignoring him, which seemed to make him want to keep talking. "She knows what it is, and she knows about the other imprints, but she doesn't know about mine. Bella and Edward want to wait until she's grown up."

Leah looked over to see him carefully wiping engine grease off his hands.

"And what do you want?"

Jacob frowned at a grease stain on his palm. "I agree with them. I don't want her to grow up feeling like she owes me something, you know? Or like everyone expects us to get together."

"Everyone does," Leah pointed out, and Jacob made a face at her.

"I don't. I mean, maybe someday, but…" He shook his head, brow furrowed. "It's got to be her choice, just like it was for the other imprints. I'll be whatever _she_ needs; not the other way around."

Hearing Jacob talk about his imprint was kind of like seeing his internal organs. Leah felt slightly queasy, but she couldn't resist poking around.

"Don't you feel trapped?"

"What do you mean?" Jacob asked with a puzzled frown.

Leah leaned forward, incredulous. "Are you kidding? You're waiting for her to grow up and choose your life for you. Don't you think that's sick?"

"It's not like that," he argued. "I can't really explain it. Knowing that we'll always be together – in whatever way – it's like the opposite of being trapped. Like no matter what changes, there'll always be that one constant that makes everything else make sense."

Leah decided to drop it. It was like they were speaking a different language. There was no way to make him see how totally fucked his life was. She wasn't sure she even wanted to.

"Well, you should tell her that so she quits bugging me," Leah said, leaning back in her seat and propping the UW catalogue against the steering wheel.

"Huh?"

"Your precious little leech is way too smart not to wonder why you spend all your time with a four year old. If you really don't want her to know about the imprint, you should make something up before she figures it out on her own."

"Wait, did she say something to you?" Jacob leaned forward, his hands on the roof of the car so he could look Leah in the eye. "What did she say, exactly? Does she know about the imprint? Is she upset?"

"I'm not your couples counselor," Leah snapped. To her surprise, she actually felt a little defensive of the tick tyke's secrets. Nessie, however misguided, had come to Leah, and no one else. Leah didn't like it, but she would respect it. "I just think you should talk to her. And leave me out of it."

Jacob seemed to understand that she was done talking. After a few minutes, he went back to the engine.

They were silent for about half an hour before Leah heard Jake put down his tools and take out his phone.

"Hey, Bells," he said, and Leah heard Bella's tinny greeting on the other end. "Good, thanks. Look, could I come see you and Edward tonight? Alone? We need to talk."

* * *

**A/N:** What do you think? Reviews are the best writing aid. Thank you for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Again, sorry for the long delay. This was a tricky chapter to write, but I think I've got the story on track now. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Leah couldn't believe she'd gotten herself into this mess.

It was all Jacob's fault, probably – the way he'd asked her to be _nice_ to Nessie because she was going to ask Leah for a favor, and it was so damned irritating to have the guys act like Thing was committing some sort of heroic feat just by talking to her. So, just to be contrary, Leah had decided to say yes before she'd known what the favor was. And now she was in a clearing in the woods, preparing to teach Nessie Cullen how to fight.

It was drizzling and muggy, as usual, and Thing was hyper, which was even more usual these days. They'd hiked up to the clearing together, but Thing kept pulling ahead and then having to wait for Leah, bouncing on the balls of her feet, blowing wisps of hair out of her eyes, chewing her bottom lip – basically doing everything short of saying "Come _on_, already!" out loud.

Leah had smirked and slowed further. It was a little childish, sure, but someone had to teach Thing a lesson about not getting her way all the time, and it was pretty clear that no one else was going to do it.

The lesson probably would've sunk in better if she'd found a way to get out of this altogether, but Thing had had an argument for every one of Leah's protests.

"You do realize I don't fight in human form, right?"

"Jacob says you train in human form, sometimes."

"I don't want your leech family after my blood when you break a nail."

"I can take care of myself! And Mom and Dad said it was fine, as long as it was all theory-based."

"Why can't your family teach you?"

"They're all stronger than me! Most of their tactics, I can't use. I'm not as tall as you yet, but I'm definitely as strong as you." Leah had pursed her lips, but couldn't argue. "Come on, Leah, please?"

But it wasn't until Quil suggested that Leah was afraid to be alone with Nessie that Leah had finally caved. After breaking Quil's nose, of course.

Leah wondered, yet again, if she'd brought this on herself. After she'd confronted Jake about his imprint last January, he and Thing had had a "talk," which they'd all been forced to relive later in the pack mind. He hadn't spelled out the imprint, exactly, but Thing must have figured it out. She'd been insufferable ever since.

Jacob swore he'd kept Leah's name out of it, but of course Thing was too clever for that. Now the tick seemed to think she had Leah to thank for her newfound bliss. She'd started trailing Leah like a duckling, and holy hell, the little leech could _talk_.

"Aw, come on – it's kind of sweet how she looks up to you," Embry had said when she'd complained about it. "She probably just wants a girl friend she's not related to."

"I'm not her friend!" Leah had wailed, but Embry just laughed.

"So, what can you do already?" Leah asked now, facing Thing in the middle of the clearing. She had the irritating feeling they were being watched from the woods by a wolf or two, but maybe she was just being paranoid.

Thing shrugged, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"I wrestle with my uncles and Jake," she said. "But Jake lets me win, and Jasper and Emmett never do." She shrugged again, looking embarrassed by her lack of experience.

"Wrestling isn't exactly a bright idea when you're fighting someone stronger than you," Leah drawled, rolling her eyes. "The point is to immobilize their strengths."

Thing stopped bouncing.

"How?"

Leah showed her basic defensive stuff first – things she'd learned years ago when Mom made her and Seth take a kiddie self-defense class at the Y. Thing learned quickly, which was a relief, because Leah didn't have the patience to show her more than once. Within half an hour, she could twist her arms out of Leah's grip, and knew how to target all the sensitive spots on the human body.

They quickly moved on to more advanced stuff, like using an attacker's strength and speed against him. Leah found that touching Thing wasn't as gross as she'd expected. Her skin was harder than a human's, but warm: nothing like the diamond coldness of leech skin. Gross or not, Leah had hoped to touch Thing as little as possible, but some techniques needed demonstrating. As she explained how to throw someone who attacked you from behind, she put her arm around Thing's neck and showed her how to grab it.

She was instructing Thing on how to plant her feet when suddenly, Leah felt a sharp twist in her ankle, and heard Thing say _Ouch!_ and then "Ouch!" again.

She let Thing go, hissing in pain, and then realized that her ankle didn't hurt at all, but that Thing was massaging hers and looking anxiously at Leah.

Leah snarled as she realized what had happened.

"Sorry!" Thing said, looking mortified. "I'm sorry!"

"_Don't_ do that again," Leah snapped.

"I know, I won't. I don't usually, it was an accident – I was concentrating, that's why – Grandfather says I need to work on focusing on lots at once, and then it won't happen like that," she babbled. Leah raised a hand to cut her off.

"Whatever," she said. "Just don't do it to me again."

She turned away sharply, shaking her head to clear it of the creeping sensation of Thing's thoughts in her brain. It was disgusting – she couldn't believe Jacob actually liked it.

Speaking of Jacob, Leah was surprised to see that he hadn't come bursting into the clearing when Thing had sprained her ankle, or even when Leah had snapped at her. Maybe they were alone up here, after all.

"So the doc is teaching you how to control that?" she asked after a moment, half out of curiosity, and half because she was starting to feel a little bad for injuring the monster. She couldn't imagine that Thing actually had parental permission to be alone with a pissy she-wolf, and she wouldn't be surprised if the tick tyke had a nice, long, for-your-own-good confinement in her near future.

"Yeah," Thing said, testing her ankle. Her face was flushed – with pain or exercise or embarrassment, Leah wasn't sure. "He says I'm doing okay. I usually never slip up like that anymore. And he's teaching me how to talk to people without touching them – I managed to do it the other day, to six people at once. I'm working on narrowing my focus, and only talking to one or two specific people. He says it'll get easier the more I practice." She cut herself off. "Sorry," she said again. "I talk too much."

"That's true," Leah agreed, pretending to be absorbed in stretching. It was good to know what the leeches were capable of, even if the packs weren't going to be fighting a war against them anytime soon. Bella's so-called talent was the only one that didn't totally make Leah's skin crawl, and she guessed the Pixie's wasn't too bad, especially since she couldn't see the wolves. But Edward's and Jasper's made her stomach turn, and Thing's, now that she'd experienced it first-hand, wasn't any better.

"I'm fine now," Thing announced, springing to her feet.

Leah kept stretching, unwilling to let Thing touch her again, and unwilling to say so. She wasn't afraid of a wiry little twelve-year-old. Still, though. Ugh.

"Has the doctor ever said anything about using your… whatever… offensively?" she asked after a moment.

Thing frowned. "What do you mean?"

"When you hurt your ankle," she explained, straightening up, "I felt like _I'd_ hurt my ankle. If someone's grabbing you, that'll make them let go quick."

Thing looked like she'd never thought of anything so underhanded. Then she grinned.

"I guess so…" She considered a moment longer. "I'm guessing that's not the sort of thing we'll be practicing here."

"Damn straight," Leah retorted, and Thing laughed.

"Thanks for doing this, Leah," she said, seeming to realize that the lesson was over. "You're a really good teacher."

Leah hesitated, embarrassed and wondering if she had to respond.

"Thanks," she muttered when she decided that she did.

"Do you think we could train together again sometime?" Thing asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Leah surprised herself by actually thinking about it. Thing probably wouldn't have a slip-up like the one with her ankle again. But then, she might, and it wasn't like Leah was responsible for her. She'd proven her point. She'd been nice to Nessie. Job done.

"I don't know why you're even bothering with this," she said instead of no. "Your family's a bunch of stone-cold bloodsuckers, and the wolves protect you, too, against _some_ of our better judgment."

Thing's face darkened abruptly, her cheeks flaming red. Leah was half-surprised to see the little leech actually get angry, and half-surprised that it had taken this long.

"You've got two packs of wolves that would die to defend you," Thing retorted, folding her arms. "Why did _you_ bother learning to fight?"

Leah didn't have an answer to that, but she felt her lips moving silently, ready for the moment she came up with one.

Thing dropped her aggressive stance.

"Besides," she said, twisting her fingers in her ponytail. "Jake keeps letting me win. I really want to kick his butt."

Leah smirked before she could stop herself and Thing gave a hesitant smile.

"We'll see," Leah said at last. Thing's smile broke into a grin. She obviously took Leah's "maybe" as a "yes," and Leah wondered if it was too early to regret her answer.

They started jogging back to La Push, and Leah set a pace that she hoped would discourage conversation. Of course Thing missed the hint.

"When do you begin classes at UW?" Thing asked.

Leah glared at her, and Thing looked concerned.

"Are you not looking forward to them?" she asked, misinterpreting Leah's expression. "Jake said you were."

"It's not a big deal," Leah muttered, running faster.

Leah used to think that Thing was a relatively quiet kid, but since January, she'd dropped the act to reveal a vampiric Energizer Bunny of conversation. The only thing the leechlette seemed to like better than talking was asking questions.

_What does it feel like to phase? Did it hurt the first time? Does it still hurt? Is it hard to share the pack mind? Do you like it? Can you keep secrets from each other? What do vampires smell like to you? What do I smell like? Do people's mental voices sound like their verbal voices? _And so on. She'd told Thing to ask Jacob but, of course, "I've already asked him all this. I want to know what _you_ think."

"Are you glad that Seth will be at UW in the fall?" Thing asked now, weaving easily between the trees.

Leah sighed, seriously annoyed. Seth had been accepted at UW; he'd be a freshman in the fall. And she _was_ glad – it meant that she'd have an excuse to check in and make sure he wasn't getting into trouble, and just to be with her kid brother, away from the craziness of wolves and imprints and leeches.

"That's sort of a personal question," she said coldly.

Thing looked surprised but unashamed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to be. You can ask me anything you like."

"I don't want to ask you anything," Leah snapped. What was this, a sleepover? She thought back to what Embry had said and shuddered. Oh, god. Did Thing actually thing they were friends?

They slowed to a human jog as they reached the highway that led into La Push. Soon she could dump Thing with Jacob and she'd be his problem again.

Leah recalled the conversation she'd unwillingly witnessed in Jake's head. _"Nessie, you know I'll always love you, right?" Leah could see Thing's face in profile, drawn and pale, or maybe that was the gray sunlight on the beach. "No matter what happens. If you grow up and you want to have a boyfriend, we'll still be best friends, and if you want to have another best friend, I'll still always be here for you. No matter what, I'm with you forever."_

Leah wasn't jealous of Thing – despite the idiotic, half-baked suspicions Sam had hurled after her when she'd left his pack, she'd never been in love with Jacob.

No, Leah was jealous of imprinting. That permanence that Jacob talked about… part of her thought it was stifling, sick, a death sentence. Part of her wondered if it was the only way the wolves could fall in love.

Despite having more than enough control for human contact, all the non-imprinted wolves had remained stubbornly single. She knew Colin and Brady fooled around with girls from La Push and Neah Bay, but Seth told her Brady didn't take any of them seriously, and Leah was secretly convinced that Colin played for the other team. Embry and Seth hadn't had so much as a date in five years, though they'd both had plenty of offers. And Leah… well. Leah was Leah.

They'd never talked about it, but she knew they all felt the same way. What was the point of starting something so mundane when you knew what you _could_ feel? Once you'd felt the mind-bending, gravity-shifting, steel cable certainty of the imprint – even in the mind of another wolf – how the hell were you supposed to settle for anything less?

Thing started whistling softly to herself and Leah's irritation boiled over.

"You've turned pretty chipper since Christmas," she sniped. Thing just grinned.

"Yep," she said, popping her 'p' just like Jacob did. "Thank you, by the way."

"For what?"

"I have no idea," Thing said, her voice as sly as a wink. "Anyway, Jacob explained everything to me. I guess I was being silly to worry so much."

"Guess so," Leah grumbled. They were on Jacob's street now – nearly there. Then she could lose the tick and get the hell out of here. The confidence of the imprinted was obnoxious.

"I sort of…" Thing snorted and rolled her eyes, "it's so embarrassing, but I guess I'd sort of started to worry that maybe he'd, you know… _imprinted_ on me or something." She bit her lip and looked apologetically at Leah.

Leah could imagine what her face looked like, and was grateful that Thing had misinterpreted her expression as pain at the mention of imprinting. What she actually felt was shock, and the beginnings of cold, clawing dread.

She'd faltered to a stop and Thing stood beside her, looking sorry, for once, that she'd opened her big fat mouth.

"Would that be so terrible?" Leah croaked.

"Well, no," Thing said. "I love Jacob more than anyone. But, you know…" She glanced at Leah – maybe for affirmation – and Leah managed to keep her face blank. "I mean, I don't have to tell _you_ how upset the packs would be if Jake had imprinted on me. Can you imagine what you'd have said?"

Leah didn't have to imagine, although she couldn't remember word for word. She did know "sick" and "traitor" had come up more than once.

"Anyway," Thing concluded, "I like it better this way. I'm glad he's friends with me for me, and not because of something he can't control."

Leah's head spun as she gaped at her Alpha's imprint. This was so not how this conversation was supposed to go.

"And if he imprints on someone else one day?" she demanded, voice hard but miraculously steady. She told herself she was just trying to get Thing to admit that she was desperate for Jacob to have imprinted on her. But honestly, she needed to know whether imprinting really was the unshakable bond they all believed. She wasn't sure which answer would be worse.

Thing shrugged, definitely uncomfortable now.

"I'd want him to be happy, of course." She was staring at her feet and chewing her lip in that nervous tick of hers. "But… whoever she is... I don't think I'll like her very much."

She finished in a whisper, blushing and looking shamefacedly up at Leah.

It wasn't any of the answers Leah had expected. For some reason, it was the best answer she could have hoped for. For the first time all day, Leah felt her mouth curve into a real smile.

"I don't know," Leah said, setting off toward Jacob's house again. Thing hurried to keep up. "Maybe she'll surprise us."

* * *

**A/N:** Every time you review, an angel gets her wings. Well, probably not. But it's worth a shot, right? Thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** I'm sorry for the massive delay in posting this. Life has been a bit hectic, but things have hopefully calmed down now. I've got the next chapter written, and will post it once I've had a chance to do a few more rounds of editing. Thanks for your patience, and I hope this chapter was worth the wait!

* * *

Leah cranked the window down and the radio up as she hit the highway heading west out of Seattle. Driving took longer than running, but negotiating Friday night traffic, listening to talk radio and slurping down a sugary iced coffee were all so utterly human that she couldn't resist.

She'd started classes at UW a month ago, and so far, the whole experience had been a weird and wonderful refresher course in normality. The Seattle campus was huge and anonymous – Leah had never been such a total unknown. Since the second she was born, she'd always been Harry and Sue's daughter, or Seth's big sister, or Sam Uley's girlfriend, or, worst of all, Sam Uley's _ex_-girlfriend. Seattle was only 100 miles from home, but her ethnicity was suddenly considered exotic, and between that and her height, the other students treated her with a deferential reverence that had nothing to do with the fact that she could bite them in half.

Getting away from La Push made Leah feel so gloriously cut off from everyone and everything that bound her. In Seattle, she had no family or pack responsibilities, no leeches or imprints to make her life harder, no history or baggage to weigh her down. She was just Leah, alone in her own mind for the first time in way too long. It was just so unbelievably _liberating_.

Her phone buzzed and she put her coffee between her knees so she could get it.

_From: Embry _

_cant believe ur in Seattle an I'm serving burgers to the prepiest kids in forks. Lives not fair Leah!_

Leah snorted and started texting back, one eye on the road.

She and Embry hadn't seen each other much since the start of summer semester. Both packs had cut down on patrols and training lately, and Leah hadn't had any trouble filling her free time with homework and hanging out in Seattle. It would be good to catch up with Embry, and she actually had sort of an awkward favor to ask him. The final project for her web design class was to make a website, and she had an idea for a kind of online art gallery that would hopefully use some of Embry's paintings. Maybe if she gave him a lift home from work, she could bring it up while he owed her one.

_Learn to spell, and you could go to UW too. Though probably not. When does your shift end?_

Embry's reply came so fast that Leah was pretty sure the preppy Forks kids weren't getting the service they were paying for.

_1.5 hrs pick me up an I wont even call you a bitch_

Leah let herself laugh since there was no one to hear it.

_Bring me a burger and I won't even push you out of my moving car._

A second later: _love u Leah._

"Yeah, yeah," Leah muttered, grinning and tossing her phone onto the passenger seat.

* * *

Embry was leaning against the brick wall of the Carver Café when Leah pulled into the parking lot. West of the Olympic Mountains, the sun didn't set so much as fade away behind the clouds, but Leah could see Embry clearly in the dusky half-light as he grinned and loped toward her car.

"The only burgers left were veggie, but I got you fries and a milkshake, so that's gotta be worth a ride to La Push, right?" he asked, waggling a white take-out bag through the passenger window.

"Depends. Can you super-size that?"

Embry snorted and got into the car.

"Here you go, O Educated One," he said, handing her the bag.

"Thanks," Leah mumbled around a mouthful of fries. She didn't whine about it as much as the guys did, but it wasn't easy being hungry all the time.

"How was your day?" she asked once she'd filed the edge off her hunger. "The preps didn't scare you too bad?"

Embry grinned. "Nah. Actually, I think they were friends of Bella's."

Leah stopped chewing and looked at him, but he was gazing out the window.

"Oh."

"They were talking about her, anyway. You know, 'does anyone ever hear from Bella, is she still married to that Cullen guy, I hear they had a kid…' That kind of stuff."

"Huh."

"Weird, though," Embry went on, staring out at the darkening forest. "To think how she just dropped off the map like that. I mean, they were her friends."

"Obviously not, or she'd have kept in touch," Leah said. She'd never had much time for Bella, and analyzing her personal relationships was not Leah's idea of fun.

"I guess…" Embry was looking at his hands now, picking at a callous on the inside of his thumb. "Do you think you could've done it?"

"What?"

"You know, just given up your whole life like that. For a guy."

Leah opened her mouth to say something sarcastic and probably dirty, but one look at Embry's face made her rethink it.

"No. I couldn't. Why, could you? For a girl?"

"I don't think so," he said. "But then, I haven't imprinted yet."

* * *

Leah hadn't forgotten about using Embry's paintings, but she couldn't bring it up in the car, not while the space between them filled up with all the things they couldn't – or wouldn't – say.

Since they'd been thrown together in the fallout of Jake's imprint, Leah and Embry had gotten pretty comfortable talking about most things. The one obvious exception was imprinting. Beyond a few muttered complaints about Claire or Nessie over the years, there just wasn't much to say.

Lately, though, Embry had started hinting at the forbidden topic. The last few times Leah had seen him, he'd brought up Sam's pack and their imprints somehow or other. With Emily's second baby on the way, Sam was talking about retiring his fur and fangs and turning the whole pack over to Jacob. Not that there'd be much of a pack to pass on, pretty soon – Paul and Jared were making noises about quitting too. They wanted to grow old with Rachel and Kim and all that bullshit. For the first time, Leah wondered if Embry's interest in the topic was more personal than professional.

As Leah dropped Embry off and drove the rest of the way home, she promised herself she'd talk to him tomorrow.

Of course, the next day, Embry was nowhere to be found. When Leah stopped by his place, his mom said he'd left early in the car and hadn't said when he'd be back. Leah tried his cell and found it switched off.

Leah had homework to do, but half an hour of attempted Spanish translations proved that she pretty much wasn't going to be able to think about anything but Embry. Claire was staying with Em and Sam for the weekend, so Quil was there, and Seth had said he'd stop by for lunch after his shift at Surf's Up. It was as good a place to go as any, and Leah found herself bounding up the creaking front steps a little after 11:30.

The faint scent of leech told her that Jake and Thing were already there. Sure enough, there Jake was in the kitchen, whisking something in a bowl and laughing at Thing, who was shredding a tomato with her fingernails.

"I'm getting it done just as fast," Thing grumbled, tossing the mulched tomato into a salad bowl.

"Sure, sure," Jake grinned. "You know humans use tools now, right? It's this whole modern age thing we're into."

Nessie glowered at him and Jacob cracked up.

"Hey, Leah," Emily called from her seat at the kitchen table. She was roughly house-sized now, and she had her feet up on a chair while Claire, Andrew and Quil drove toy trucks around her.

"Hey, Em," Leah said, bending down to kiss her cousin's unscarred cheek. "You look good."

Emily laughed. "I feel like a blue-ribbon heifer. These guys are being amazing and helping out."

"Don't speak too soon," Quil said, rescuing a fire engine from Andrew's teething gums. "You haven't seen how much I plan to eat."

"Actually, I was talking about Claire and Nessie," said Emily. Quil grinned.

"Hey, kiddo," Leah said, scooping Andrew into her arms. Andrew gave her wet grin and hurled a toy car across the room.

It was weird. Since she'd started at UW, all the drama and pain with Sam and Emily seemed so much smaller. Almost like it was part of another life.

Emily was beaming at her, and Leah remembered to feel awkward. She kissed Andrew and set him back down, where Claire began patiently explaining why we don't throw our toys. Leah wandered over to the kitchen island and leaned over it.

"Cornbread, Jake?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "How domesticated."

"I think you mean housebroken," Quil joked before Andrew poked him in the eye.

"Yeah, right," Jake said. "Leah, go be a good little woman and check on the chili."

Before Leah could so much as snarl, Nessie jabbed her bony elbow into Jacob's side. He dodged away, laughing, but Leah noticed him massage his ribs as he kissed the top of Thing's head.

"How's that salad coming?" he asked.

"So awesome," Thing said. Was it Leah's imagination, or was there a teenagerly drawl of sarcasm in Thing's usually sweet-as-sugar voice? "Best salad ever. Prepare to have your taste buds blown."

Seth showed up before too long. He'd adopted that weird, surfer-dude style since starting at Surf's Up, and as he hoisted Andrew into the air, their little cousin grabbed Seth's hemp and cowry necklace and shoved one of the shells in his mouth. Seth laughed as he pried Andrew's gums apart, then dug around in the box of baby toy for a replacement chew when Andrew started to whine.

Thing took the opportunity to abandon her post in the kitchen and go sit with Claire. The creation she'd left on the counter looked like the worst-case scenario of a salad, and Leah was pretty sure the only reason she'd stuck it out so long was baby Andrew.

In the last year or so, Leah had noticed how differently Thing treated the various wolves and their imprints. With Seth, Leah, Embry, Quil and Claire, she was nearly as comfortable as she was with Jake. The other wolves, however, she flat-out avoided, and she never touched their imprints. Rachel and Emily were slight exceptions, but Thing tended to steer clear of them both when Paul or Sam was around. Andrew Uley was totally off-limits.

Leah was pretty sure those weren't Cullen rules; the vamps had to know by now that no wolf was going to touch a hair on precious Nessie's head. More likely, Thing had noticed the way Sam's pack cringed away from her, and was keeping as much distance as she could. Of course, that didn't explain why Thing had always latched onto Leah. It was a working theory.

"Want to play Barbies?" Claire asked Thing.

"Sure."

"Okay, you be Amber again," Claire instructed, handing Nessie a white-skinned doll with matted brown hair.

"So, where's Embry?" Leah asked Jake and Quil. They exchanged a tense look before Quil threw himself down beside Claire and Thing.

"I'll play Ken!" he offered, grabbing a half-naked boy doll.

Jake glared at Quil's back and Leah started drumming her fingers on the countertop.

"I don't know, exactly," Jake said, turning away to put the cornbread in the oven.

"Then where is he generally?" Leah pressed. "Seriously, Jake, I thought we were past the whole boys' club thing."

"It's not like that." Jake glanced over to make sure Seth and Emily were occupied with Andrew before he went on in a low whisper. "It's not like some great secret or something. Anyway, Seth doesn't know about it either. Embry's just… going through a rough time right now. He says he wants to be alone."

"So that's it?" Leah demanded. "He says he wants to be alone, and you just let him go?"

"Oh, right, I forgot about your method of annoying people better. How's that worked for you?"

"Well, at least I care enough to do it," Leah snarled.

"Of course I care," Jake snapped, loud enough that Thing and Seth looked over in alarm.

"I'm not talking about this with you," he muttered, his face hard. "Embry's been miserable for months, and Quil and I have done everything we can think of. So don't act like you're such a great pal because you just noticed."

Leah's hand ached to punch him in the face, but Jake turned on his heel and stalked away to sit by Thing. Thing slid her hand into his and he nodded in answer to her silent question. Her pale fingers tightened around his big dark ones, and he relaxed with a smile.

There it was. Thing made Jacob happy, like Claire made Quil happy, like Emily made Sam happy. Seth – Seth didn't seem to need anyone to make him happy, the chipper little freak. That left Leah and Embry, who had no one to make them happy but each other. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best she could do.

"I'm going to head out," she announced to the room at large. "Lots of homework to do, you know."

She was out the door before anyone could argue.

* * *

Dramatic exits aside, Leah didn't really have a plan to find Embry. His phone was still off, so she headed back to his house, this time in wolf form. She managed to follow his trail to Highway 101, but even if she'd been able to pick his scent out of the cloud of exhaust fumes, there wasn't enough cover for her to run by the road. Frustrated and still furious with Jacob, Leah turned back to La Push.

As she ran, she thought about what Jake had said. Embry had been miserable for months. Months? Could he really have been worrying about imprinting that whole time? They hadn't hung out much lately, but he'd always seemed fine. Had he been faking it to spare her feelings? If so, she was going to kick the crap out of him.

There was no point waiting and worrying, so Leah went home and made herself focus on homework. It wasn't easy, especially now that a rumbling stomach had joined her list of distractions. It had been stupid to storm out before lunch at Em's, but then, she'd always been impulsive.

The kitchen was almost bare, and Leah was contemplating the culinary options of bread and ketchup when she heard a knock on the door.

It was too soft to be Embry, and Leah kicked herself for thinking of him first.

It was Emily.

"Uh… hey," Leah said, confused and a little uncomfortable to see her cousin without the buffer of the pack or the kids. As ancient as their history was, Leah and Emily had never reestablished the bond they'd had before Sam.

"Hey," Emily said, offering up a casserole dish and an anxious half-smile. "I thought you might be hungry, so… I hope you don't mind."

"Oh. Thanks." Leah stood still for a second too long before she moved to let Emily in.

Emily waddled to the kitchen and started heating up a bowl of chili.

"I spared you Nessie's salad," she said with a grin. "That girl cannot cook."

"Why should she?" Leah half-joked. "She sucks the blood of animals."

Emily shuddered, but she didn't comment as she set a bowl in front of Leah.

"Eat. You're too skinny."

"Everyone looks skinny next to you," Leah teased, then wondered if that had come off too harsh. Emily just puffed out her cheeks and laughed as she dropped into the chair across from Leah.

Leah didn't waste time digging in, and Emily watched her eat for a while before she spoke.

"Jake says sorry for being a prick." Leah raised her eyebrows and Emily shrugged. "His words."

"As touched as I am that he made you apologize for him, there's no need," Leah told her.

"Is this about Embry?"

"Jesus – does _everyone_ know but me?"

"Down, girl," Emily said, palms up. "I just heard you mention his name."

"Oh." Leah deflated and took another few bites of food. "He's… freaking out about the whole retirement thing, I guess. And imprinting."

"It's a lot to take in," Emily agreed. "What exactly is he upset about?"

"How do I know? He won't talk to me, and apparently I'm not allowed to know where he's disappearing to all the time."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I guess we're not that good of friends." Leah scowled, annoyed at how pathetic she sounded. "Or because I don't have a dick. Your guess is as good as mine."

"Well, it's definitely not the former," Emily said. "Anyone can see that you're Embry's best friend."

Leah snorted. "Right."

"Of course you are, Leah," Emily told her, her brow creasing. "It's obvious."

Leah didn't know what to say to that.

"As for why he's not talking to you… What happened between you and Sam was traumatic for everyone. I'm not surprised that Embry doesn't want to talk about imprinting."

"I'm over that," Leah said, voice cold. She pushed her bowl away, which might have had more impact if it hadn't been empty. Emily got up to refill it.

"Good," Emily said. "Maybe Embry isn't."

"What?" Leah snapped, confused and annoyed about it.

Emily watched her carefully from across the kitchen. "Why do you think Embry, Seth, Brady and Colin are still single? They all felt what you and Sam went through, Leah. None of them want to risk hurting someone they love the way Sam and I hurt you." Her voice broke and she turned away, her fingers white-knuckled on the counter.

Leah stared at her cousin's tense, trembling shoulders, and was grateful not to have to see the look on her face.

"I _am_ over it, Em," she whispered so her voice wouldn't give her away. "And I forgave you a long time ago."

Emily turned, swiping a hand across her cheeks. She came back to the table and sat down. Tentatively, she reached her hand across the table. When she was a little more than halfway there, Leah took it.

* * *

Leah decided she needed to talk to Embry as soon as possible. She took some homework and, after making sure the Call house was empty, camped out on the front steps to wait for him.

It was a few hours before she heard his car in the distance, and she packed up her stuff, her stomach clenching in anticipation. She'd been working over what she was going to say, and it was all so mushy and embarrassing and unfamiliar that she really had no idea how it was going to go.

As Embry climbed out of his car, he looked at Leah with a confused half-smile.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

Leah didn't stand up, and after a moment, Embry sat on the step below her.

"What did you do all day?" Leah asked.

Embry didn't stiffen or anything, and Leah guessed he'd been expecting the question. He didn't answer for so long that she started to think he wasn't going to.

"I drove around. Just clearing my head," he told her at last.

Leah sucked in a deep breath, preparing for the plunge.

"I don't honestly know how it happened, and I'm a little disturbed by it, but you're probably my best friend, Embry. And I don't want you to feel like you have to lie to me, because you can talk to me about anything. I wish you would."

He didn't even look at her. Leah felt her face heat up until her cheeks were burning. She wondered if she could make a break for it now and pretend he'd imagined the whole thing.

"I was in Seattle, at some mall," Embry said. "Looking at girls. Trying to imprint."

Leah's stomach heaved and she swallowed hard to keep her chili down. Embry noticed her flinch and looked up, his eyes wide and anxious.

"I'm sorry, Lee," he croaked. "I know I'm, like, betraying you or whatever, but everyone else is moving on with their lives, including you, and I just… I don't want to be… _this_… anymore."

Leah folded her arms tight around her stomach, willing it to stop pitching. The thought of losing Embry – of him becoming just another brainwashed victim, with no time for anyone but his _imprint_… god, she might actually puke. That would be embarrassing.

"But I don't want to lose you as a friend, Leah," Embry was saying now, his voice desperate. He tried to take her hands, but they were clenched into fists under her ribs, so he settled for wrapping one big hand around her ankle. "I don't even want to imprint if it means we can't be friends. I just… I just don't know how else to make any of this stuff make sense. What's the point of all this, Leah, if we don't have someone to share it with?"

He sounded so young and scared that Leah shoved her anger aside and reached for Embry instead. She put an arm around his shoulders, and he pressed into her, his forehead warm against her throat, his long, strong arms twining tight around her waist.

"I'm sorry, Leah," he whispered, his breath warm and ragged on her skin. "I'm so sorry."

Leah held him tighter, willing him to shut up. She remembered now why she'd stopped letting people in, and why she'd been stupid to make an exception for Embry. The closer people got, the more they could hurt you, and this pain was just the beginning.

As Embry muttered himself into silence, Leah realized that she could hurt him just as much. He'd let her in, and Leah knew better than anyone the responsibility that came with that.

It would be better to push him away now. Safer to tell him to get fucked, to go enjoy his perfect life with his mystery soul mate.

"It's okay," she said instead. "We're fine."


	12. Chapter 12

"What about her? She's hot."

Embry rolled his eyes but looked where Leah was pointing. A pigtailed toddler was running down the beach, screaming like wet cat.

Embry snorted. "Wow, thanks, Leah. Good to know you think I'm ready to join the Baby Imprint Club."

"Just trying to find a girl your speed."

He scowled and she decided to lay off – for the moment. They may still be friends, but she wasn't about to let him forget that she was far from happy with his whole "imprint" plan.

"Hey, how did your Spanish final go?"

"It went," Leah acknowledged. She shifted the keg she was lugging to her other hand as they picked their way over a stretch of rock-studded sand. "Just waiting to get my assessment for Web Design now."

"That website was amazing, Leah," Embry said. "Seriously. And I'm not just saying that because my paintings were baller."

Leah actually laughed out loud. "I knew I could've come up with a better domain name."

"Right? 'Baller Paintings by Embry Call dot com.' You'd get tons of hits."

"Well, it's better than Quil's suggestion - 'Reservation Dogs.'"

Embry laughed. "What a tool," he said, a grin softening his voice.

Their crowd was gathering at the fire pit up ahead. Paul spotted Leah and Embry and waved, and Jared yipped out the familiar pack greeting.

"Yeah, yeah. Beer's coming, assholes," Leah muttered.

They slowed down a little, but they were at the pit soon enough, and the others jostled them apart in their quest for booze. Sam and Quil had just got the bonfire going, and the first sharp cracks of burning wood were almost loud enough to drown out the rising babble of conversation.

It was the last bonfire of the summer, and Seth's going away party.

Leah spotted her brother on the other side of the fire, squatting between Billy's wheelchair and a log occupied by Mom and Old Quil. Old Quil's lips were moving, and Leah could imagine him talking in that slow, measured way of his. Mom had caught Leah and Seth mimicking him once when they were kids, and had yelled at them to respect their elders, emphasizing the order with two quick smacks. Dad, always the calmer parent, had said only: "If Old Quil speaks to you, it's worth taking the time to listen."

Seth's face now was set and serious, his eyes on the fire, head cocked toward Old Quil. Leah had never seen him look so grown up, and her chest ached with something like pride.

She looked around at the rest of the crowd to see that pretty much all of La Push was here. Sending a rez kid to college was a big deal, and everyone had turned out to celebrate.

Kim, Rachel, Paul and Jared were hanging out with a bunch of their non-pack peers, most of whom Leah had gone to school with. A few of them waved and grinned, and Leah waved but didn't go over. That wasn't her life anymore, and there was no point in faking it.

Brady and Colin were presiding over a pack of teens – mostly girls – performing their usual rowdy double-act. Emily was home with two-month-old Taylor, but Sam was here, watching Andrew like a hawk. Claire was helping him baby-sit, drawing on all her seven-year-old bossiness, and Embry, Quil and Jake were talking quietly nearby.

Inevitably, Leah's eyes moved to Thing.

Seeing Thing this summer had kind of been like watching one of those time-lapse videos of weeds growing. In a matter of months, she'd sprouted to almost six feet tall and was now skinny as a rail, all sharp angles and awkwardness. Thing had never fit in on the rez, but now her pale, gangly form stuck out like a sore thumb. That wasn't what made Leah stare, though.

At first, she thought Thing must be hurt, or sick. Her narrow shoulders were hunched into a tense, unhappy slouch, and her too-pretty face was drawn and sullen. Her hands were shoved into the pockets of her jean jacket and she was glaring at her chipped, turquoise toenails as she scuffed them in the sand.

Jake looked down at her and his brow creased in concern, although Leah noticed he didn't look surprised. He put an arm around Thing's shoulders and she stiffened before leaning into him. After a second, she shifted her weight to her other foot and Jake's arm slid off her shoulders.

Leah felt the tug of morbid curiosity pulling her forward. Thing was a freak show for sure, but Leah had never seen her look so human. She wasn't about to miss the chance to finally see some cracks in Thing's candy-coated shell.

"Hey, guys."

Embry and Quil greeted her with smiles, but Jake barely managed to drag his eyes from Thing. Not that Thing noticed.

"Hi, Nessie," Leah said pointedly.

Nessie's eyes darted to Leah's face, and Leah thought she saw a flicker of interest there before Nessie dropped her gaze back to the ground.

"Hey," she mumbled.

Leah's eyebrows shot up and she glanced at Embry, who shrugged.

Over Jake's shoulder, Leah saw Charlie arrive. Thing's head jerked around at the sound of her grandpa's voice, and she headed for him a little too fast before catching herself and slowing to a human jog.

Leah looked at Jake.

"What's up with Princess Lolly?"

Jake huffed a sharp sigh through his nose as Thing threw her arms around Charlie.

"Puberty," he growled.

Leah made the mistake of meeting Embry's eyes, and they both burst out laughing. Jake glared, stony-faced, which just made them laugh harder. Leah clutched her sides and Embry leaned on her shoulder for support.

"Sorry," Embry gasped. "Sorry, Jake, but–" He couldn't get any further, and after another moment, Jake stalked away.

"You guys are kinda dicks," Quil observed.

"Don't worry, Quil," Leah grinned. "We'll laugh just as hard when it's you."

Quil's face went slack with horror, and Embry and Leah collapsed into fresh gales of laughter.

Nessie stayed with Charlie for a while, but as Charlie continued to talk to Mom, Nessie's shoulders pulled back into a hunch, and eventually she slouched away.

Leah and Embry had nabbed a few hot dogs to scorch on the edge of the bonfire. From where they were sitting, Leah could see Thing pause and look around – for Jake, Leah assumed, but then she noticed how Thing's eyes lingered on all the groups she couldn't join. Seth with Charlie and the elders. Claire and Andrew with Sam. Colin and Brady with their tween-girl followers.

Finally, Thing slunk back to Jacob.

Jake was sitting on the other side of the fire, but Leah could see him as he wordlessly handed Thing a hot dog on a roasting stick. Thing took it with a half-smile and leaned against him, and Jacob's face brightened almost painfully. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she didn't flinch away.

As much as she'd laughed at him before, Leah was worried about Jacob. It had to suck when the person your life depended on became a bitchy hot mess. Leah even found it in herself to pity Thing a little. Thing would be turning five soon, which, if Doc Fang's calculations were correct, made her about thirteen. Leah remembered being that age – too old to be a kid and too young to be an adult, sure that everyone was staring at you, expecting you to be something you didn't understand. It was a lot like phasing for the first time, actually, and Leah wouldn't wish that on her worst enemy.

Just then, Thing gasped and jerked upright, wincing as she gripped her calf.

Jacob's eyes widened and he said something Leah didn't catch.

"It's fine," Thing ground out between clenched teeth.

"Seriously, Ness, just let me give you some aspirin or something."

"Grandfather doesn't want me taking that."

"Does he know how much it hurts? Here, let me–" He reached for her calf but she swatted him away.

"Quit babying me," Thing spat. She glared down at her leg, blinking furiously as she massaged her calf.

Leah and Embry exchanged a bewildered look. Maybe for Thing, puberty was even more like first phase than Leah had guessed.

Seth eventually left the elders and came over to slum it with the packs. The guys pretended to fuss over how grown up he was and how proud they were until Seth, blushing, took shelter under the protective umbrella of Leah's glares.

He didn't get to hang out with them too long. Everyone wanted to talk to him, and people kept coming over to wish him luck and offer the kind of advice that old ladies embroidered on cushions. Leah struggled not to gag while Embry grinned and rolled his eyes.

The Sun had been down for a few hours when the old people started saying their last words to Seth and the young people started getting ready to turn it into a real party. Thing came to say goodbye and gave Seth a small, gold-papered package.

"Aw, thanks, Nessie!" Seth said, hugging her. Nessie hugged him back, blushing.

"It's from my whole family," she explained. "It's kind of dumb, sorry."

Seth grinned and tore off the heavy paper to reveal a thin wooden box that reflected the firelight like it was made of glass.

"Jeez," Quil said, craning to see.

"It's dumb," Nessie mumbled again, obviously embarrassed by the attention. Jake gave her a nudge and she bit her lip.

Seth opened the box. Inside, resting on folds of black velvet, was a sleek, old-fashioned fountain pen made of what looked like silver, but was probably platinum or white gold or something. Maybe solid diamond.

Nessie was right about one thing: it was really dumb.

"Wow," Seth said, his mouth dropping open. "That's so beautiful, Nessie, thank you. Seriously – thank your family for me, too – that's just… Wow."

"It's so Cullen," Nessie said apologetically, and Leah snorted. Pretentious, extravagant and useless – so _Cullen_, as Nessie had said. Leah couldn't have put it better herself.

"No, I love it," Seth promised with another hug. "Really. Tell your folks they're the bomb."

Nessie gave an embarrassed laugh. "Okay. And… good luck at UW. You'll do amazing. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Ness. See you at Christmas, though, right? Revenge of the checkers?"

Nessie finally cracked a real smile. "You got it."

The last of the families finally left, and Paul and Jared revealed their hidden store of alcohol. Jared was looking pretty buzzed, and started challenging Embry to a wrestling match. Kim was egging him on, which of course meant he had to do it, and pretty soon Paul was taking bets and everyone was gathering around to watch.

Leah suddenly remembered that she'd left her present for Seth (a "COLLEGE" t-shirt and a case of non-alcoholic beer – hardy har har) in Embry's car. Six years in the pack had made her witness to more testosterone-driven moments than she could count, and she decided to run to the car now, while she knew she wouldn't miss anything interesting.

She jogged off along the beach, leaving the heat of the fire and the yells of the crowd behind with a sigh of relief. The crisp, salty air was cold on her skin, and the crashing waves sounded like peace and home. Her feet were almost silent on the cool, wet sand. She could run like this forever. Had she always felt this way, or was it just since phasing? It was hard to remember anymore.

Too soon, Leah heard voices in the parking lot up ahead.

A moment later, she recognized Jake's voice and froze.

"I can come over tomorrow, if you want. We can go hunting, just you and me."

"Sure, sure," Thing said, but her voice was laced with bitterness. "If you're not too busy looking for your imprint with Embry."

"Why would I want an imprint when I've got such nice friends?" Jake's voice was mild, but it was enough.

"Oh, Jake, I'm sorry," Nessie said. "I know I'm being such a jerk, and I'm sorry, it's just… I just feel so–" Her voice broke and Leah flinched away from the sound of oncoming tears, but then Jacob was soothing her and she fell silent with a sniffle.

"Come on, hop in," Jake said. An edge in his voice made Leah pretty sure he knew she was there, and she drew back further. "We'll talk about it on the way."

Two car doors slammed and Leah waited for the Rabbit's engine to fade into the trees before she went to Embry's car.

She took her time walking back to the bonfire, mulling over what she'd heard. How long were Jake and the leeches going to hide the imprint from Nessie? And how much damage would it cause in the meantime?

"You missed it!" Embry called when she got back to the party.

"Huh?"

"The wrestling match, you missed it," he said, looking annoyed. "I beat Paul."

"Great. Congratulations. Your balls have descended."

Embry made a sound of disgust. "I wanted you to see," he complained.

Leah noticed that his eyes were brighter than usual, and his gaze was a little unfocused.

"Embry, are you drunk?"

"No! A little."

Leah clicked her tongue, but Embry swung an arm over her shoulders and matched her pace as she strode to the other side of the bonfire.

"You know, Leah," Embry said, his voice husky in her ear. Leah suppressed a shiver as his breath tickled her neck. "You're pretty hot."

Leah elbowed him in the chest and he stumbled back, massaging his right pec.

"I'm being serious!" he protested.

"Do you want me to kick you in the balls?" she demanded.

"No."

"Then consider this fair warning."

"All right, all right." Embry grinned, holding up his hands. Leah stomped over to sit with Seth. She definitely hadn't missed being the butt of idiotic pack jokes.

Seth rolled his eyes at the non-alcoholic beer, but promised that he loved the t-shirt, and put it on to prove it.

"But seriously, sis," he said, like he was picking up again in the middle of a conversation Leah couldn't remember having, "you're going to be okay here, right?"

"What?"

Seth's eyes were earnest and worried.

"We just… we've kind of taken care of each other since Dad died and everything else, and I don't want you to feel like I'm… I don't know… abandoning you, or whatever. I mean, I know you haven't always been happy here, and I guess…" he shrugged, embarrassed. "I worry."

Leah wasn't sure whether to hit him or burst into tears. She settled for neither, and hugged him instead.

"Aren't I the one who's supposed to be worrying about you?" she whispered into his hair. Seth held her tighter.

"I'm not a kid."

"Believe me, Seth, I know. I'm… I'm really proud of you. And I'm going to be fine." She pulled back to look at him. "Are you?"

He grinned, and he was her baby brother again, as bright and bouncy as a wolf pup.

"Always am."

It didn't take long for Seth to get called away, and Leah watched him from her place by the fire, her eyes stinging from the smoke and, yeah, okay, maybe a few unshed tears. It was stupid to get all nostalgic – Seth literally wasn't getting any older – but her mind kept flicking back over old memories, playing like family movies in her head. Teaching Seth how to tie his shoes. Watching Dad help him make his first drum. Swimming in the ocean and pretending to be a shark biting his toes. Letting him sleep with her when he woke up thinking there was a shark under his bed.

"Leah," Embry moaned, breaking into her tailspin of depression. "I don't feel so good."

"I'm not your mommy," Leah snapped, brushing her fingers quickly under her eyes.

"I know, thank Christ." Embry bumped his head against her shoulder and left it there, his weight sagging into her. Leah gave an annoyed huff, but didn't shake him off.

"Hey." She nudged Embry and he cracked one eye open. "What about her?"

She nodded across the fire at Lara Redwing, who was jerking like an electric eel to ABBA's "Dancing Queen."

Embry gasped and bolted upright.

Leah looked over at him, a grin frozen on her lips. He was leaning forward, his muscles taut, his eyes glowing as he stared at Lara Redwing like he'd never seen her before. Like he'd never seen _anyone_ before.

Leah felt like her heart was lodged in her throat.

No. No fucking way.

Embry leaned back, opened his mouth, and let loose a thunderous belch.

"Nope," he said, slumping back onto Leah's shoulder. "Just gas."

"You little fuck!" Leah cried. Embry started laughing and she shoved him off the log.

"Ugh! I can't believe you!" She tried to glare, but she couldn't seem to stop grinning.

"Come on, it was funny!" he said, crawling back to sit next to her. Leah gave an indignant snort, but let him stay.

After a while, he took her hand, tracing the fading ink of an old doodle across her wrist.

"You know, Leah," he said at last, "if neither of us meets someone else… _we_ could always get together."

"Oh my god, was there a nuclear holocaust?" Leah asked, feigning horror.

Embry frowned, not getting the joke.

"No?"

"So… you're not the last man on Earth?"

"Ah ha." Embry shook his head with a smirk. "I see what you did there."

He stared at their joined fingers for a few moments longer, then snorted and dropped her hand. Leah guessed the alcohol was wearing off, and opted not to give him a hard time about it.

In silence, they watched the fire burn itself down to embers.

* * *

It didn't take long to load up the car the next morning. Charlie came over to lend a hand, but he took off after lunch to give the family some privacy. It seemed like there were a million last-minute things to do, and Leah and Mom rushed around to do them while Seth went to say his last few goodbyes.

It was nearly two by the time they were ready to go. Not long after, Seth emerged from the woods, muddy and grinning at Jake, who was strolling along beside him, equally filthy.

"We're going to have to put you in the trunk, pup," Leah said, raising her eyebrows at Seth's dirt-caked cut-offs.

Jake grinned and pulled Seth in for a manly hug.

"Take it easy, kid."

"Sure, boss. You, too."

Seth changed quickly and they piled into the car. Jake stood in the driveway, waving, and Leah watched as he shrank in the rearview mirror until they turned a corner and he was gone.

Mom spent most of the drive quizzing Seth about appropriate procedure for various college worst-case scenarios. Leah and Seth teased her, but Leah noticed Seth squeeze Mom's hand where it rested on the gearshift.

UW campus was jammed with circling SUVs and families lugging suitcases and packing crates. It only took a couple trips to move all of Seth's belongings into his small, characterless room in his big, characterless dorm. They met his roommate, a nervous kid called Jason. Jason's parents were taking a few other freshmen on a grocery run and invited Seth along. Seth looked hopefully at Mom and she relented with a smile.

"You will call us," she ordered, her arms tight around Seth's chest. "And not just when you need something."

"I promise," Seth said, giving her an extra squeeze before letting go.

He turned to Leah and smiled, and Leah felt heartache and anxiety claw at her throat. Luckily, they didn't need to speak.

* * *

Mom and Leah were silent on the walk to the car. Leah glanced sideways at Mom, and suddenly she missed Dad like a punch to the gut. She caught her breath, feeling stunned and guilty that she hadn't missed him earlier, but then she realized that Dad had been in the house with them this morning when they got up, in the car as they drove to Seattle, and in Seth's room as they helped him make his bed. Missing Dad and missing Seth had gotten so tangled up in her head that she just hadn't noticed.

Leah put an arm around Mom's shoulders and Mom smiled up at her, her eyes bright with pride and tears.

"Leah? Leah!"

Leah and Mom turned to see a tall, gray-haired woman jogging towards them across the campus lawn.

"Professor Gibson," Leah said, straightening up. "Hi. Uh, Mom, this is my web design professor. This is my mom, Sue."

The two women exchanged greetings, and the professor said those things teachers have to say about how Leah was wonderful to have in class, blah, blah, blah. She didn't go away when she was done, though, and after a moment, Mom said she'd go pull the car around and left Leah standing awkwardly with her ex-professor.

"I'm glad I ran into you, Leah – I've been meaning to email you for days."

"Really?" Leah asked, trying not to look as confused as she felt.

"Well, first of all, I wanted to ask why you're not taking any of my classes this semester."

"Uh. What?"

"You've got a real eye for web design. And your subject matter was beautiful. Those paintings were done by a friend of yours, weren't they?"

"Oh, yeah," Leah said, grasping for familiar territory. "Embry Call. We sort of grew up together."

"On your reservation?"

"Yeah."

"They're fantastic pieces. Very mature and developed. Has he had any training?"

"In painting? Embry?" Leah tried not to laugh as she pictured Embry's mess of a bedroom-slash-studio. "Definitely not."

"Well, he's got a real talent, and so do you. I think you should consider taking your site live, and maybe adding a sales component."

"You mean, like, selling Embry's paintings?"

Professor Gibson smiled at her confusion. "I think there's definitely a market for them. In fact, that was the other thing I was going to email you about."

By the time Leah got into the car, she was practically vibrating with excitement.

"Good talk?" Mom asked, eyebrows raised.

"Uh, yeah. I need to call Embry." She dialed with shaking fingers. Embry answered on the second ring.

"Hey! How's Seth?"

"Good. He's out with a bunch of other freshmen."

Embry laughed. "Why am I not surprised? How's Sue holding up?"

"Um…" Leah shot a look at her mom, who was watching her out of the corners of her eyes as she drove. "Okay, I think. Listen, I called because I've… sort of got a surprise for you."

"You got Charlie to add me to the sex predator's watch list?" Embry guessed.

Leah was too excited to play along. "My web design professor showed my website to some of her friends in the art department, and one of them wants to buy some paintings from you."

Mom's eyes widened.

"Embry?" Leah asked after a moment. She checked her phone to see if the call had been dropped, but the screen showed full bars.

"You're messing with me," Embry croaked. "Come on, Leah, not cool."

"I'm not messing with you, you moron. He wants the thunderstorm one – you know, that you did last summer – and the one of all the baskets. He said he'd pay a hundred bucks. Each."

Embry's whoop made her jerk the phone away from her ear, but she was laughing, and after a second, so was Embry – a kind of stunned, breathless sound. She could picture him running his long fingers through his hair, shaking his head and making it sweep back into his eyes again.

"Holy shit, Leah," he whispered, his voice raw with excitement. "That's… Thank you. So much."

"Don't thank me. You painted them."

"No, Leah. Thank you for thinking they were worth it."

Leah blushed, but she didn't have a comeback.

"Listen, I've got to go. But we'll talk more tonight, okay?"

"Yeah," Embry said, still sounding dazed. "Talk to you tonight."

Leah hung up and turned to her mom.

"You know," Mom said, beaming through her tears, "I think you kids are going to be okay."

"Yeah," Leah agreed, taking her hand with a smile. "Me too."

* * *

**A/N:** For those unfamiliar with American board games, Princess Lolly is the youngest member of the Candyland royal family. She lives in a field of lollypops and gumdrops. Her father is King Kandy and her mother is Queen Frostine. For many reasons, it seemed like an appropriate nickname for Leah to give Nessie.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** After three harrowing weeks, I have finally managed to access my wayward hard drive and, thus, all my writing. What better way to celebrate than with an update?

I've started posting what will hopefully be a series of missing moments and alternate points of view from _Possession_ under the title _The Dispossessed_. The first chapter is The Talk between Jacob and Nessie that takes place between chapters 9 and 10. Check out _The Dispossessed_ for this and other deleted scenes from _Possession_.

As ever, thank you for reading. You guys are simply the best.

* * *

After Embry's paintings sold, things seemed to happen pretty fast.

First, the professor who'd bought them wanted to meet him. After a quick lunch on campus with Seth (during which Embry had looked like he might either phase or puke), Leah and Embry met with Professor Ake. The professor, who insisted they call him Jamie, asked Embry to hold an exhibition in one of the school of art's galleries.

"We're always looking to spotlight local talent," he said, his warm, blue eyes crinkling behind thick glasses. "I think your theme of the brutal beauty of nature will really resonate with a lot of our usual donors."

Embry had never even thought about having a theme, but he agreed with pretty much anything Jamie said. The exhibition would be next spring. It would last three weeks and be free to the public, with special invitations for a meet-the-artist opening night for donors and art school alumni.

Embry was quiet as they boarded the ferry out of Seattle. Most of the other passengers were inside, hiding from the sharp, October wind that gusted across Puget Sound, but Leah and Embry stood on the upper deck, leaning against the railing and looking out over the water.

"This can't be real," Embry said, a dazed grin on his face. The wind was blowing his shaggy hair around, and Leah squashed a sudden urge to reach out and flatten it for him. "I'm pretty sure this isn't happening. Right?"

Leah raised an eyebrow. "Want me to pinch you and see if it hurts?"

"Get your bony fingers off me, crazy bitch!" Embry gave her a playful shove, and then pulled her into his arms.

Leah froze against his warm, firm chest, her arms at her sides. Embry's breath was soft against her hair. She could feel the heat of his body through her shirt and his heartbeats felt like they were thundering in her own chest. His touch was warm and affectionate, and he wasn't asking her for anything.

After a moment, Leah put her arms around his waist and hugged him back before stepping away.

"My mom actually asked to see my paintings the other day," Embry told her, like nothing had happened. That made Leah feel a little better. And somehow a little worse. "She thinks they're really good. Of course, it took someone else saying it for her to think so, but… Progress, right?"

"Yeah," Leah agreed with a smile, leaning carefully against his shoulder. "Progress."

* * *

Embry wasn't the only one progressing. A few weeks after the Seattle trip, Leah found herself at the Blacks' house, squashed into their tiny living room with Billy, Mom, Old Quil, Jake and Sam.

"When will you stop phasing?" Old Quil asked Sam, his slow voice more mournful than usual.

"We agreed that it would be best for Paul and Jared to try first," Sam said. "Once my pack is smaller, I'll pass it over to Jake and start trying as well."

"And Brady and Colin want to keep phasing?" asked Mom.

Sam nodded. "For now. They're still hoping they'll have their own newborn army to fight." He gave a weary smile, and Leah thought that for a guy who'd stopped aging nearly seven years ago, he looked awfully old.

"I'm not even sure they could stop phasing," Sam continued. "Paul, Jared and I all have strong reasons. We're sure about it. It will take that kind of commitment to quit."

"How do you know that you can, with the Cullens so nearby?" asked Billy.

Leah glanced at Jake, but he didn't react. He'd barely said two words all night, but that was normal for these meetings. As much as Jake and Sam respected each other, having two alphas had never been easy, and they tended to take turns deferring to one another. Soon, though, Jake wouldn't be deferring to anyone.

"We don't," Sam said, glancing at Jake too. "It may not be possible until they leave."

Jake cleared his throat and Sam leaned back, giving him the floor. The elders turned to look at Jacob.

"Carlisle thinks it will be," he said.

Leah's skin prickled at the thought of the leeches knowing more pack secrets, and Sam's hackles went up immediately.

"You told the doctor?" he demanded, eyes blazing.

Jake didn't rise. "Edward reads minds, remember? Anyway, they need to know. With fewer of us on patrol, they'll need to be on their guard against other leeches."

Sam conceded with a sulky glare.

"And why does Carlisle think the boys will be able to stop phasing before his coven leaves?" Billy asked.

"Because they didn't make us start phasing in the first place."

Sam snorted and Leah pursed her lips to keep from doing the same.

"We know that the cold ones bring on the change," Old Quil protested.

"Right," Jake agreed with an eager nod. "But the Cullens were in Forks for two years before Sam phased. It only started when those other three came to town – the redhead and her boyfriends. Carlisle thinks our genes are programmed to begin the change when we sense a threat from the cold ones. The Cullens never posed any threat."

It took all of Leah's self control to keep from saying "bullshit" to that. Sam just snorted again and shook his head.

"It's an interesting theory," Billy acknowledged. "One we'll test soon enough. Very well, then. We're agreed that Paul and Jared will begin trying not to phase, starting now. You'll keep us informed, Sam?"

Sam agreed, and the meeting broke up.

"Ballsy of you to bring up Doc Fang," Leah commented once everyone had left.

Jake shrugged. "Carlisle's a good guy, and they all know it. Anyway, I think he's right. If the Cullens could bring on the change, we all should've started when they came back."

Instead of agreeing, Leah started texting Embry and Quil to come over for a debriefing while Jake ordered pizza. All three arrived more or less at the same time, and Billy took a few slices to eat in front of the TV while the four wolves crammed around the little kitchen table.

"So," Embry began once Jake had finished his rundown of the meeting. "When _are_ the Cullens planning to leave?"

From the corner of her eye, Leah saw Billy cock his head to listen.

Jake shrugged, fidgeting with his paper napkin.

"Two or three years. Once Ness stops growing."

"And you'll go with them," Embry stated, folding his arms.

"Yeah."

They were silent.

"I'll come back," Jacob said, answering the unspoken accusation. He looked each of them in the eye. "We won't move far, and I'll still be phasing, so we'll keep in touch when I'm not here."

The other three nodded slowly, and Leah felt the absence of Seth settle behind her ribs like a weight.

"Aw, crap," Quil whined suddenly. "Does this mean Leah's gonna be in charge?"

Embry laughed and Jake grinned. Leah growled and punched Quil in the arm, but not as hard as usual.

The mood lightened after that. Jake and Quil asked about Embry's exhibition, which led them to UW and Seth.

"He's doing great, of course," Leah said, grinning even as she rolled her eyes. "Three frats have actually invited him to rush, but he says he's not interested. Doesn't keep him from going to all their parties, though. He's got this gang of fangirls that follows him everywhere."

"Never mind that he's got the body of a fourteen year old, huh?" Quil teased.

Jake wiggled his eyebrows. "I hear some girls like that."

"Bella sure did," Embry said. Quil and Leah cracked up as Jake made a face and gave them the finger.

"Hey, what about that lady whose car keeps breaking down?" Quil asked with a wolfish grin at Jake. "You know, in ways that only _you_ can fix?"

"Mrs. O'Dell," Jacob answered with a shudder. "She keeps off-roading and getting sand in her engine."

"Oh, so she needs you to clean out her engine, huh?" Leah smirked.

"How do you clean out her engine, Jake?" Embry asked innocently.

"Aw, c'mon, Embry." Quil grinned. "You know the only way to get sand out of an engine is with your tongue."

Jake pretended to be annoyed, but by the time Embry started talking about how much cougars love wolf meat, he was laughing as hard as the rest of them. Leah actually had tears in her eyes, and it felt so good to be with her pack that it seemed impossible that it could ever end.

Jake's phone buzzed and he answered it, still grinning.

"Hey, honey."

Nessie's voice was so hysterical that Leah couldn't make out the words. The smile dropped off Jake's face immediately and he left the room. The others stared after him with wide eyes.

"Nessie, honey, slow down, what happened?"

Thing's response was muffled. Leah exchanged a look with Billy, whose expression was grave.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Jake said. He came back to the kitchen, his face pale and serious. "Sorry, guys – I've got to go."

"She okay?" asked Quil.

"She had another fight with Edward and Bella. She's pretty upset, but she'll be fine."

Leah could tell he was more worried than he let on. She'd never heard Thing sound like that, and she was pretty sure Jake hadn't, either.

"We'll clean up here," she offered. Jake shot her a grateful look, and then he was gone. They heard him phase on the edge of the woods before the sound of his paws faded away.

They were subdued as they washed their dishes and tidied up the kitchen. Quil and Embry said goodnight to Billy and headed out. Embry hovered in the doorway, waiting for Leah, but she shook her head and glanced at Billy. Embry nodded and disappeared into the darkness with Quil.

"Mind if I keep you company, Billy?" she asked.

"Not at all, grab a seat."

They sat in silence for a while. Leah couldn't care less about the basketball game on TV, but she waited for a commercial to speak, in case Billy did.

"This happen a lot?" she asked.

Billy shrugged, his eyes on the TV. "Couple times now. It's not so different from how Rachel and Rebecca were at her age."

Leah snorted. "Me neither, I guess. It's hard on Jake, though, huh?"

Billy frowned. "It's hard for him to see her unhappy," he said. "He's doing his best."

"Always does."

Billy gave her a weary smile. The game came back on, and they were silent for the rest of the quarter.

"It'll be weird when he leaves," Leah said finally, watching Billy from the corners of her eyes.

"I'm a grown man, Leah. You can say what you mean."

Leah's shoulders relaxed, but her heart still pounded at what she was about to say.

"How can you stand the thought of him living with a bunch of bloodsuckers?" she demanded, aware of the accusation in her voice.

"By reminding myself that it will make him happy," Billy answered, like it was obvious. Leah felt about five years old.

"I don't get it," she muttered.

To her surprise, Billy laughed. "Neither do I, Leah. But who ever understands love?"

The game ended and Billy let Leah choose what they watched next. There wasn't much on besides some late-night talk show that neither of them was very interested in, and she turned it off with relief when she heard Jake's paws in the yard.

A moment later, the door opened and Jake entered, barefoot, shirtless and exhausted.

"Everything okay in Forks?" Billy asked as Jake collapsed onto the couch next to Leah.

"It's fine," Jake said, leaning back and closing his eyes. Despite his casual posture, Leah could see the tension in every line of his body. She wondered if she should leave so he could talk to Billy, but then Billy beat her to it.

"Well, I'd better head to bed. We'll talk in the morning, Jake." He sent Leah an encouraging smile as he rolled out of the room.

Leah pursed her lips and looked at Jake. She had stayed to talk to him, after all. She should just man up and do it.

"So, what happened?"

Jake heaved a sigh, slumping further into the couch.

"Nessie got in a fight with Bella and Edward and they sent her to her room. She called me, and when Edward came to take away her phone, she… chucked it through a window."

Leah gave a short, disbelieving laugh. "Sounds like little Nessie's turning into quite the little bitch. Is it wrong that I sort of like her better now?"

Jake finally opened his eyes to glare at her.

"Not in the mood, Leah."

Leah managed to wipe the smirk off her face. "Look, if you want to talk about it, I promise not to laugh."

Jake snorted. "Pass."

"Come on," Leah wheedled, jostling his arm. "What's wrong with her?"

Jake stared at her for a long moment before he spoke. And then he spoke a _lot_.

"Her bones hurt, her muscles hurt, her skin hurts. She's grown a foot in the last four months and her body can't keep up. Carlisle's not sure how she'll react to human medicine, so he doesn't want her to take any, no one in her family remembers puberty well enough to talk to her about it, she feels like a ninth wheel in her own family, and she's a thirteen-year-old girl with a dad who reads minds. What do you think is wrong?"

Damn. It had been bad enough being thirteen in a house with her parents and one annoying little brother, but living with eight bloodsuckers with no sense of boundaries really took the cake. Even Thing didn't deserve that.

"So what happened today?" she finally asked.

Jake scowled. "Nessie was… upset with Bella and Edward. Edward didn't like the tone of her thoughts and told her so, she got mad at him for invading her privacy, Bella tried to calm them down but Nessie thought Bella was taking Edward's side so she yelled at Bella, Edward got even madder and that's when she called me."

"He didn't like the tone of her _thoughts_?" Leah demanded. Jake gave her a grim smile.

"Don't think he liked mine too much, either, when I heard that part."

"What did you do?"

"I just talked to her until she calmed down." His jaw clenched at the memory. "She was crying a lot. And then…" He groaned and leaned forward, burying his face in his hands.

"Then Bella said they're sending her to Alaska," he muttered, his voice raw.

Leah's eyes widened.

"For how long?"

Jake shook his head, his fingers sliding up to clench his hair.

"They're not sure. However long she needs. Apparently they've been talking about it for a while. Bella says she's at the _end of her rope_." He leaned back, his expression disgusted.

"Jesus."

After a long moment, Leah put a hand on Jake's shoulder. He reached up and squeezed her fingers.

"I guess it will be good for her," he admitted, his eyes hollow as he stared at the wall. "She's been so angry lately. She needs a break from everything here. Rosalie and Emmett are going to take her up to stay with their friends in Denali until she wants to come home."

"And you?" She could tell already, but she had to ask.

"I'll stay here. The vamps up there don't want me around. And anyway, maybe Nessie needs a break from me, too."

"Why?" Leah snapped. "You've always been there for her, doing whatever she wants the second she wants it. How could she need a break from that?"

Jake shook his head. "It's not so simple. Lately, things have been… tense between us. I know I haven't been everything she needs me to be, but I'm not even sure what that is anymore. Edward says she doesn't know, either. He says she's confused about us, but she gets mad when I try to talk about stuff with her."

"What does she say to you, exactly?" Leah asked, her eyes narrowed. Imprint or not, Thing had absolutely no right to get pissy with Jake after everything he'd done for her.

"She says I baby her. She says that I treat her like a kid, but she _is_ a kid. She shouldn't try to grow up faster than she already is." He gave a helpless shrug, but from where Leah was sitting, Thing's problem was getting a little clearer.

"She wants you to treat her like she's your age," Leah suggested.

Jake sighed. "Yeah."

"She wants you to treat her like she's your equal," Leah pressed, and Jake jerked his head around to stare at her.

"I've never treated her like she was less than me," he protested, sounding horrified.

"No," Leah agreed. "You've always treated her like she was better than you. Everyone does. You all treat her like she's the most special thing in the world."

"She is!"

"Except now she's thirteen," Leah went on, ignoring him, "and 'special' just means 'weird.'"

Jake frowned, his dark eyebrows knitting together as he thought.

"Has she been talking to you again?" he demanded.

Leah rolled her eyes. "No, but I'm girl. And unlike your leech friends, I remember what being thirteen feels like."

Jake groaned and threw himself back into the old couch, which squealed under his weight.

"So, you're saying I need to treat her like she's not special."

"That's my guess."

"And if I can't?"

"I don't know, Jake. Why don't you ask her mind-reading father?"

Jake shot her an annoyed look and she returned it with interest.

"Look, if you can stand to leave your own pity party, you should get some sleep," Leah suggested. "It'll seem better in the morning."

"Can't. I've got patrol with Embry tonight."

"I can cover for you."

Jake looked tempted, but then he shook his head. "No thanks. The run will clear my head."

"Fine. But look, Jake, it's going to be okay. You survived without Renesmee Cullen for seventeen years. A few weeks aren't going to kill you."

* * *

They didn't kill him, as it turned out. They did, however, make him a real pain to be around.

"He's so mopey all the time," Leah complained to Seth over dinner in Seattle one night. "It's like trying to hang out with a kicked puppy. Doesn't matter that Thing calls him at least twice a day. We all have to miss her right along with him, and he's being a total dick to everyone."

Seth laughed with his mouth full. "That's a little rich, coming from you."

Leah's eyes narrowed and Seth swallowed his grin. "Why?"

"Uh. No reason."

Leah glowered for another second before she changed tack.

"So, finals coming up next month. How are you feeling?"

"Good," Seth said, his cocky grin back in place. "I've got a bunch of study groups going, and everyone's really pulling together."

"And how many pretty girls are in these study groups?"

"A few," he evaded.

"Anyone I should be warning Mom about?"

He laughed again. "I'll let you know."

"You'd better."

"Actually, I'm pretty psyched to come home," he said between mouthfuls of pasta. "I miss you guys. I mean, I like it here, but it doesn't feel right to be so far from the pack, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Leah said, focusing on twirling spaghetti onto her fork.

"How are Paul and Jared doing with the no phasing thing?"

"Pretty good, actually." That had been a surprise. Leah hadn't believed that those two could last a day without dog-fighting someone, but she'd been wrong. "They've only slipped up a couple times. Paul's been so cocky about it that he's stopped carrying clothes with him. Half the rez saw him strolling around naked the other day – I thought Meg Foster was going to make a citizen's arrest."

Seth nearly choked on his pasta as he laughed.

"How are Brady and Colin doing with it all?"

Leah rolled her eyes. "By kissing Jake's ass. Which is pretty funny, actually, since the last thing he's in the mood for right now is two pups underfoot. He's being nice, keeps reminding them that they're still in Sam's pack, but Sam's stopped running patrols and they're bored."

"Poor kids," Seth said with smug tolerance.

"Poor kids that might be joining you out here next year."

"How's things with Mom and Charlie?" Seth asked, ignoring Leah's not-so-subtle reminder that he wasn't much less of a pup than Brady and Colin.

"Gross as ever. But he did spend his day off fixing the shower last week, so I'm letting him hang around for now."

Just then, a pretty blonde waitress bounced up to their table.

"Ohmigod, Seth?" she cheered, beaming like she was in a toothpaste commercial. "Hey!"

"Hey, Morgan," Seth said with his cheerful, easy smile. Poor Morgan didn't stand a chance. "I didn't know you worked here."

"Yeah, just for the semester!" Morgan cried, sounding thrilled about it. "Ohmigod, is this your big sister?"

"Yeah, this is Leah. Leah, this is Morgan, she's in my modern history class."

"Oh, it's so great to meet you!" Morgan gushed. "Seth talks about you, like, all the time! It's so cute that you guys are so close!"

"Oh, totally," Leah said, trying not to laugh in her face. "He's told me tons about you too. I can tell you're really someone special."

Seth's eyes widened in horror behind Morgan's back, but Morgan lit up like a Christmas tree. A giggling Christmas tree, covered in glitter.

"Well, uh, I should get back to work! See you tomorrow, Seth!"

"Bye, Morgan," Seth said, voice weak. As soon as she was out of earshot, Seth tried to kick Leah under the table, but she dodged.

"What the hell, Leah?"

"Oh, come on," Leah teased, watching Morgan watch their table. "Give Princess Sparkles a chance."

"Yeah, like you're giving Embry a chance?" Seth retorted.

Leah stopped smirking at once, feeling like the bottom had dropped out of her stomach. "What?"

Seth stared at her, pale and wide-eyed. "What?"

"What about Embry?"

"What about Embry?" Seth echoed.

"Oh my god, are you five?" Leah snapped, but she dropped the subject. Her head was spinning and her heart was thudding way too fast.

She shook her head to clear it. It was just a stupid joke.

* * *

"Jake?" Leah called, poking her head around the door of Jake's garage. He looked up from his bike and smiled.

"Hey, Leah. What's up?"

"Just coming by to see how you are." She hopped up onto the workbench, and then regretted it when Jake's forlorn look told her that this was where Nessie usually sat. Great.

"I'm fine," Jake lied, turning his attention back to the bike. "How was dinner with Seth last night?"

"Good. He's turned his fan club into study groups."

Jake laughed. "Always knew the pup would do us proud."

They were silent for a while, and Leah realized she couldn't remember the last time they'd hung out like this, just her and Jake. It made her sad, and more than a little angry.

"Where's Embry?" Jake asked.

"Huh? Why?" Leah snapped, Seth's joke from the other night twisting her stomach. Just when she'd almost stopped thinking about it.

Jake gave her a weird look. "Uh, because you usually know? And you don't usually hang out with me unless he's not around."

"That's not true," Leah retorted. "I never see you because you're always with your precious leeches."

"Well, I still see Quil and Seth plenty, so…" Jake gave a sarcastic shrug, "not sure what that does to your theory."

"Why wouldn't I want to hang out with you when you're just _so_ much fun to be around?"

"Wow, okay, forget I asked where Embry was," Jake said, holding up his hands and turning back to his bike. "I can see it's a sensitive subject."

Leah huffed and folded her arms. "How's Thing?" she asked. She didn't usually use her nickname for Nessie in front of Jake, but he'd earned it.

"Nessie's fine, thank you," Jake said, ignoring the jab. Leah seethed a little more. "She called earlier. She sounds really good, actually. Happy."

"Well, color me thrilled," Leah muttered.

Jake twisted around and sat on the floor, his elbows hooked around his knees.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, looking half-concerned, half-exasperated.

"Talk about what?"

"Whatever's making you act like a psycho bitch."

"I came here to be nice!"

"You came here to pick a fight," Jake corrected with an infuriating smirk. "Sorry, Leah. You know usually I'd love to, but I just don't have it in me today."

Leah floundered for a comeback but came up empty. Her head was pounding and her stomach squirmed. It felt like all the strings that kept her life in order were starting to unravel. Since when could stupid Embry make her feel so unspoolled?

"I don't want to talk about it," she told him, her voice as cold as she could make it.

Jake shrugged, unruffled, and went back to his tinkering.

Leah fumed, angry and not sure why, which made her angrier. She honestly didn't know why she'd come here. Maybe Jake was right – maybe she had wanted to pick a fight. Jake used to be good for that. Once. No surprise, he'd let her down again.

With a low growl, Leah stood and strode to the door. She'd grabbed the handle, about to wrench it open, when Jake's voice pulled her up short.

"He's a good guy, you know. If you want my opinion."

"Have I ever?" Leah retorted. Her stomach was definitely heaving now. She wanted out of this conversation, out of this garage, out of the whole state if it meant she could shake the claustrophobic feeling that everyone was waiting for her to make a choice about something that wasn't even up to her.

Jake shrugged, smirking. "No. But that never stops me."

"What do you expect me to do?" Her hand was clenched so tight on the doorframe that she felt the old wood start to crumble under her fingers.

"Whatever you want to do, Leah," Jake said with a surprised frown. "Whatever makes you happy."

Leah looked into his dark, earnest eyes. She knew he meant it, which just showed that he was even less like the Jake she used to know than she'd thought.

She snorted and turned to go, tossing her parting volley over her shoulder.

"Since when has that ever been up to us?"


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** This chapter didn't really end at all as I'd anticipated. I hope you like where it goes.

I've also added another chapter to The Dispossessed - a Jacob POV missing moment from chapter 13, when he goes to the Cullens' to see Nessie after her fight with Bella and Edward. I'd love to hear what you think.

As always, thanks for reading!

* * *

It didn't take long for Leah to realize that she was avoiding Embry.

He didn't seem to notice - he spent every free moment locked in his room behind an easel, or driving to Seattle to talk to Jamie about his paintings and the exhibition.

Jake noticed, though. Leah could tell by the way he watched her with this sort of sad, puppy-dog look in his eyes. Or maybe that was just him missing Thing.

It was the first week of December, and Thing was still exiled in the frozen North. She and Jacob talked on the phone a few times a day, and Leah had seen in Jake's mind that Nessie was happier than she'd been in months. Leah knew that was the only way Jake could tolerate his imprint's three-week absence. Bella and Edward had taken the opportunity to go on the honeymoon they'd never had, and were off gallivanting around Europe, last Leah had heard. Personally, she was thrilled to have the local leech population down by four (and a half), but she knew Jake was furious at how easily Bella and Edward had fostered off their daughter just to get a little peace.

Leah quickly found the biggest problem with avoiding Embry was the loneliness. Suddenly her days were a lot longer and a hell of a lot less fun. She was annoyed that she'd let herself become so dependent on a stupid boy – _again_ – and she decided that going cold turkey was the only solution. Leah Clearwater did not need anyone, least of all Embry Call, with his big brown eyes and idiotic grin and floppy, boy-band hair.

A solid week of sulking reached an all-time low on Sunday, when she actually spent the evening watching movies with Mom and Charlie snuggling on the couch. After that, Leah decided to try a different approach. Like it or not, Embry was her friend, and she didn't have any real reason to be avoiding him. Just because Jake dropped some stupid insinuation… It wasn't like he was the expert on healthy relationships, anyway – why should she listen to Jake's opinion on anything?

With her conscience clear and her head held high, Leah went to Embry's place on Tuesday. Embry answered the door with a huge grin and Leah tried not to let the warm glow of relief show on her face as he pulled her inside.

"Hey, come in! I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Yeah, sorry, I've been…"

"Busy, I know. Jake said you were pulling extra shifts at the store."

Leah clenched her jaw, but nodded. That interfering little asshole. She'd have to thank him later. Or punch him in the face. Whichever came first.

"So, how's things?" Embry asked, getting out stuff for sandwiches without bothering to ask if she was hungry.

"Boring, mostly. You know, with Seth gone and Jake doing his Old Yeller impersonation."

Embry gave her an apologetic grin. "Yeah, sorry I've been AWOL."

Leah shrugged. "It's cool. It's not like we need to hang out all the time."

"Right," Embry agreed, his back to her.

They were silent until he set a towering stack of sandwiches on the table. Leah took a bite before speaking.

"How are the paintings going?"

Embry's grin was quick and bright, and nearly as dazed as it had been when Jamie first mentioned the exhibition.

"Really good, I think. Jamie's happy with them. I'm mostly doing landscapes for the exhibition, but he says some of the Quileute stuff is really good, too. I'll show you later."

"Am I interrupting?"

Embry waved her off. "Nah. I was about to stop for the day, anyway. Mom's been hinting at some stuff she wants me to do around the house. Think she's afraid to distract me now that I'm finally 'making something of myself.'" He rolled his eyes. "What are you doing today?"

"Other than being bored out of my mind?"

"Want to be bored out of your mind while you help me do laundry?"

"Oh, totally," Leah said, voice flat, but she didn't offer to leave as they finished lunch and started clearing up.

Laundry and dishwashing aside, the afternoon was the shortest Leah had had in weeks, and she tried not to think about why as she and Embry joked and bickered their way through his chores. After the second load of laundry was in, Embry took Leah to his room to show her his new paintings.

They were breathtaking. Jamie had obviously been pushing him toward bigger canvases, and the four walls of Embry's room were covered with vast seascapes, scorching sunsets and fog-capped mountains.

She spotted a stack of smaller canvases in the corner and wandered over to them. Brady and Collin play-fighting in wolf form. A group of ancient warriors in wolf skins, nearly invisible in the foggy green light of the forest. A dugout canoe drifting on the ocean at dawn.

"Those are the ones I do for myself," Embry said behind her, his voice closer than she'd expected. She could feel his body heat on the back of her neck, and she didn't turn around.

"They're my favorites," she said, and cleared her throat when her voice came out husky.

She heard Embry sit on his bed and glanced over to find him with his elbows on his knees, his chin resting in his hands.

"Jamie says he thinks there's a good market for some of the stuff like that – you know, stuff that's obviously Native. He said he'd talk to a few of the galleries in Seattle about showing them, but I'm not holding my breath. I hear it's pretty hard to get into places like that."

"Huh," Leah said, an idea beginning to form in her mind. She looked back at the canvases in her hands.

"I'm glad you like them."

"Yeah…" She looked back at Embry, then at the clock by his bed. "I've got a shift at the store soon."

"Yeah, I should head out to the Café," Embry said, getting to his feet. "But I'll see you soon, right?"

"Sure," Leah said, grinning. Embry gave her a weird look, but she didn't bother trying to decipher it. She'd just figured out exactly what she was getting him for Christmas.

* * *

December seemed to rush by. Seth came home for winter break to be fussed over by Mom and (when no one was looking) Leah. Thing's return was scheduled for after Christmas, which meant Jake would be put out of his misery soon enough, and also that there was no chance of a repeat of last year's horrific Clearwater-Cullen family dinner.

Instead, Christmas Eve found them at the Blacks', which was louder and more chaotic than ever with the Atearas and the Clearwaters, as well as Charlie, Jake, Billy, Rachel and Paul.

Paul wasted no time in sharing his big news: he'd tried to lift a crate of bricks at work the other day, and _couldn__'__t_. He said it like most guys would announce their victory in a heavyweight boxing championship.

Rachel snuggled against his side and beamed up at him.

"We took his temperature - 98.6. Best Christmas gift I ever got."

Paul grinned and leaned down to kiss her, and Jake didn't even whine at them to get a room.

Leah tried not to stare, but it was tough. Paul looked... thinner. Shorter. Less barrel-chested. _Human_.

Shit.

Leah felt queasy and shook herself. Shouldn't she be happy? For Rachel and Paul, yeah, but also for the rest of them - for the proof that there was an end in sight. She could quit this whenever she wanted. Wasn't that a good thing?

"Damn," Jake said. "Guess I'll have stop breaking your nose now." Everyone laughed and the tension started to drain away.

"You'd better," Rachel warned, jabbing a finger into Jake's chest.

"Yeah, kid," Paul teased with a grin. "Respect your elders."

"Sorry, old man - I only respect my betters."

Paul laughed and reached up to tousle Jake's hair. Jake dodged and cuffed Paul gently on the shoulder.

When it was time to eat, the guys took the opportunity to huddle up in the living room and grill Paul outside of Charlie's hearing.

What did it feel like to be human again? Had he tried to phase? Could he feel it when the change happened, or had it been gradual? Could he feel cold now? Could he still feel the wolf inside? Leah tried to take it all in, but she kept being distracted by a rising sense of dread that she couldn't - or wouldn't - name.

"So, uh..." Quil muttered at one point when Rachel left the room, "is the... you know... the imprint... still the same?"

They all turned to stare at Paul, eyes wide. It obviously hadn't occurred to the others, but Quil looked anxious and sick. Of course - he would stop phasing when Claire caught up to his age. What if he woke up one day to find the imprint broken, and realized he'd wasted sixteen years waiting for some girl he didn't love anymore?

Paul seemed to be considering the question for the first time.

"No," he admitted, sounding surprised. "Not exactly. I mean," he shot an anxious glance at Jake, "I still love Rachel more than anything. I would do anything for her. But it's less like... a need, I guess? It feels less like instinct. More human. You know?"

Leah had no freaking clue what he was talking about, but Jake and Quil were nodding like they understood.

It wasn't until her shoulders relaxed that Leah realized she was... _relieved_. What the hell? She was freaked out that Paul was human, and relieved that the imprint slavery had sticking power? Jake and Quil were obviously relieved, too, but of course they were. Leah knew that they believed the imprints were fundamental to their beings. Without their imprints, they thought wouldn't be themselves anymore. It was horrifying and untrue, but she could empathize.

Ugh. She had seriously been inside Quil and Jake's heads for way too long. For the millionth time that night, she wished Embry was there.

Thing called after dinner, and Leah managed a grudging "Merry Christmas" when Jake's phone got passed to her on its way from Seth to Charlie. Bella and Edward were in Alaska too, and it looked like Charlie was settling in for a long chat with them (long for Charlie, anyway). The Atearas had left and Paul and Rachel were washing dishes, and Leah decided that now was as good a time as any to give Embry his Christmas present.

"I'll see you at home," she told Mom. Mom, God love her, didn't ask questions - just nodded and squeezed Leah's hand. Jake freaking beamed at her and she resisted the urge to flick him off - interfering jackass - and headed out into the frosty air.

At least it wasn't raining. Leah took a shortcut through the woods, grateful that she'd been allowed to wear jeans and sneakers this year. The Cullens' absence had so many perks, despite the annoyances caused by Jake having too much time on his hands. The matchmaker act was worse than his sulking.

The lights were on in the Calls' living room, and Leah hesitated before ringing the doorbell, not wanting to interrupt an Embry vs. Mrs. Call knock-down drag-out. When Embry answered the door, though, she could see that they were just watching TV. Mrs. Call looked around to see who it was and seemed genuinely pleased to see Leah.

"Merry Christmas," Leah said, feeling awkward.

"You too, Leah," said Mrs. Call, smiling around her cigarette. "Where's your family?"

"Home," Leah lied. "They said to wish you a merry Christmas." Another lie, but she didn't want to ruin the mood with tribal politics. Things had never been completely comfortable between Tiffany Call and the Council members, and relations had turned downright frosty since Embry started running around shirtless at all hours of the night with their kids. Leah figured the only way she'd won Mrs. Call over was by being more of a bitch than Mrs. Call was herself.

"Come on," Embry said, nodding toward his room.

He shut the door behind them and started shoving piles of clothes off his bed, clearing a place for Leah to sit.

"Okay, so don't get excited, but I kind of got you something," Embry told her.

"Me? Excited?" Leah deadpanned. "Please."

"Seriously, Leah, calm down. You know it's embarrassing for me when you get all emotional."

Leah grinned at his back as he dug around under his bed, his hair a tousled mess. After a moment, he straightened up and handed her a package wrapped in hideous green and red paper. It felt like a painting, and Leah was about to tear it open when Embry grabbed her hand.

Leah glanced up, startled, to find Embry's face close to hers. His eyes were on their hands, and he was blushing.

"Don't... don't open it until you get home, okay?" His voice was gruff, and he swallowed hard. Leah watched, transfixed, as the muscles shifted in his throat, smooth lines cutting new shadows as they moved.

"Afraid I'll get too excited?" she teased, but her voice was weak and the joke fell flat.

Embry half-smiled anyway. "Something like that."

Leah let go of the present and Embry dropped her hand like he hadn't realized he'd been holding it. He stepped back, folding his arms, and Leah was relieved and sorry, all at once.

She sucked in a lungful of air and searched for something to say.

"Paul's human again," she told him, remembering.

Embry's eyebrows shot up.

"What?"

Leah shrugged like it was no big deal. "Couldn't lift some bricks at his construction site the other day. The thermometer says he's a nice, cool 98.6."

"Shit." Embry blinked hard a few times, like he was trying to get something out of his eye. "Shit," he repeated.

"Not as relieved as you thought you'd be?" Leah asked, then bit her tongue. She sounded like she was accusing him of something instead of trying to commiserate.

Embry didn't seem to mind, though. He never did.

"No, I'm not," he admitted, like it was an easy thing to say. "I don't know... it's like... Now that we know it's possible, it's like... why are any of us still doing it?"

Leah's stomach clenched. That was the question she'd been trying not to ask herself all evening. Why did the thought of it scare her so much?

"Well, Jake and Quil have to, and Seth, Brady and Collin want to, and..." she trailed off, at a loss. Where did that leave her and Embry?

Embry sat next to her, close enough that she could feel his heat through her shirt.

"Maybe we couldn't quit," he mused. "You know, without a good reason, like Paul and Jared and Sam have."

"Maybe," Leah muttered. Great. So maybe you needed an imprint to be human. That didn't exactly make her feel any better.

"Do you _want_ to quit?" Embry asked, apparently bringing out all the tough questions tonight.

If he'd been anyone else, Leah would've told him that of course she did. All she'd ever wanted was to quit, to be _herself_ again, for herself, by herself, without half a dozen boys and an angry wolf in her head, each pulling her in a different direction that all led away from who she used to be. Sometimes it felt like, even if she could stop phasing, she'd never find her way back to that girl again. Maybe she couldn't. So where did that leave her?

Leah forced herself to dig deeper. She wouldn't say she didn't want to quit phasing because she was scared. There had to be something more. She couldn't accept that she was missing her life just because she was afraid to live it.

That wasn't right anyway, she realized. This - the wolf, patrols, phasing and fighting, Embry, Seth, Jake and Quil - this was her life now. They'd dragged her out of herself and towards themselves, and she'd done it to them right back. They were bound together. A family. A pack. She wouldn't stop now even if she could.

The realization hit her like a blow to the chest, shaking her to her foundations. She'd always hated the transformation for taking away her choices - where she went, what she did, who she dated... Now that she had a choice to make, she found herself making one she never thought she would.

"I don't want to quit," Leah said, a little breathless. "Do you?"

Embry hesitated, then shook his head.

He put an arm around her shoulders and Leah didn't pull away, not even when he rested his forehead against her temple and his nose brushed her earlobe.

After a moment, she let herself lean against him and find comfort there. They were in this together. Just like always.

In a million years, she'd never have guessed her life would bring her here. When she was younger, she'd been on a clear trajectory – so straight and narrow it hadn't even occurred to her to wonder if it was what she wanted.

Then her devoted boyfriend had dumped her for her cousin. Then Emily had been mauled so badly that Leah couldn't even hate her anymore. Then Dad had died. And just when every thread that wove her life together had been ripped out of place, Leah had turned into a werewolf.

Dad used to say that everything in life had a good side and a bad side. "Just as the Moon has two faces, so does every moment of our lives. He who tries to take only the good half will end up with neither."

Leah wasn't sure how much stock she put in that – after all, there would never be a good side to losing Dad. All the same, Leah had to admit that in addition to pain, humiliation, anger and fear, phasing had brought her a new family, just when she'd needed one most.

And it had brought her Embry. For however long she got to keep him.

"I have something for you, too," she said after a while.

"Oh, yeah?" Embry asked, his voice husky in her ear.

Leah forced herself not to shiver as she grinned.

"Don't get too excited."

The Calls' computer was ancient, and buried under bills and shopping lists in a corner of the kitchen. Leah sat in front of it, bouncing her foot as the dialup stalled.

"What, is it not here yet, or something?" Embry asked, leaning over her shoulder as she started typing in the web address.

"It's here," Leah said. "It went live today."

Embry frowned, and Leah enjoyed his confusion for the few moments it took the page to load. Then it did, and she took a few more moments to enjoy his reaction.

At first, he clearly didn't get it. Then his eyes widened and he lurched forward. His mouth fell open. Leah bit her lip, grinning.

A few more seconds went by in silence, and Leah started to get nervous. Professor Gibson said it was really good, but she knew it was kind of a big liberty to take with something as personal as Embry's paintings. And she definitely hadn't asked permission.

"Do you like it?" she finally asked. "I can change it, you know - the background, the layout, how the images are displayed. And you can change the prices, too. Or take it down, if you want. I just thought..." She shrugged, feeling more embarrassed than ever. "I thought you deserved to be in a gallery."

"This is the best thing anyone has ever given me," Embry whispered, his voice hoarse.

Leah beamed at him, not bothering, for once, to hold it in.

* * *

The house was dark by the time Leah got home. She could hear Mom's steady breathing when she passed by her door, and she guessed Seth was still over at Jake's, or out with other friends.

Once she was in her room with the door closed and the curtains drawn, Leah sat on her bed and looked at Embry's present. As her fingers traced the edges of the wrapping paper, she remembered the rough warmth of his hands on hers, keeping her from opening it. Like he was afraid of her reaction.

Leah started to feel a little afraid of her own reaction the longer she stared at the thing. What she felt for Embry had gone past friendship, and even if they both stopped phasing tomorrow, that was always going to be complicated and terrifying and strange.

Her lungs were tight, and she could feel the blood pounding in her temples. God, she just wanted things to stay the same. But the look in Embry's eyes when he'd stopped her from opening the painting made her wonder if they were about to change no matter what.

She took a deep breath, and then another, glad that no one was here to see her be such a coward. Then, with one final breath, she ripped the paper away and looked down.

It was her. No landscapes, no wolves, nothing but Leah - or at least the version of her that Embry apparently saw.

She was... too pretty, for one thing - her skin glowed like burnished copper, and she was smiling, her eyes bright and happy. Her blunt haircut, which she'd always thought looked so masculine, curved around her face like a smooth, black frame. Her chin was softer than she thought it probably was, her lips a little fuller. She swallowed hard as she noticed the attention Embry had paid to the curve of her collarbone and the hollow at the base of her throat.

Leah's eyes burned and overflowed as the wall she'd constructed against the pack's jokes and insinuations trembled under the weight of the truth. Whatever Embry felt for her was way past friendship, too. This painting was like a love letter. And Leah had no idea how the hell she was going to answer it.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Hello, lovely readers! I'm putting this story on a month-long hiatus for NaNoWriMo. I know that, if given the opportunity, I'd just spend all my writing time on Possession, and I'm determined to finish NaNo this year. Thank you to everyone who's been sticking with this story - you make this so much fun. Thank you especially to everyone who has reviewed; your kind words have gotten me over many moments of frustration and writer's block! Have a wonderful month, and I'll see you all in December.

* * *

Leah was nearly asleep, lulled into a stupor by the warmth of the sun and the steady rush of the surf. Then a freezing trickle of water hit her in the neck and she snapped awake with a yelp.

"Piss off!" she shrieked at Seth, who danced out of her reach, laughing and shaking seawater out of his hair.

Leah flipped over to take another swipe at him, jostling Embry, who'd been dozing with his head on her lower back.

"Ah, c'mon, sis," Seth called, already heading back into the water, his surfboard under one arm, "if I didn't do stuff like that, how would you remember how much you miss me when I'm gone?"

"I never miss you when you're gone," she grumbled, flopping onto her back. Embry resettled his head on her bare stomach, and Leah ignored the way her breath hitched and her heart pounded in her throat.

Half a year had passed since he'd given her a painting and she'd given him a gallery. Half a year, and they'd both managed not to say a damn thing.

It wasn't like everything wasn't out in the open anyway. Brady and Collin had joined the pack in March, and Jake had mandated tons of pack bonding time to help the pups integrate. Suddenly, they'd all been plunged back into each others' minds and everything that should've stayed buried was dragged up for the world to see.

Embry thought about kissing her. A lot. Thought about doing other stuff too sometimes, but he was good at keeping that in check. He and Seth had nearly fought over it once in the spring, and would have if Leah hadn't tackled Seth and Jake hadn't knocked Embry into a tree.

Once Seth had realized that Leah sometimes thought about kissing Embry, too, he'd changed his tune to one of grudging approval and uncomfortable teasing.

Not that it mattered.

Leah guessed the upside of Jake's new pack togetherness program was that she and Embry had never had to have the horrible Talk she'd been dreading since Christmas. For weeks after he gave her the painting, she'd avoided him, trying to draft the Talk in her head.

_I'm really flattered you feel that way..._ (condescending). _Of course I like you too..._ (juvenile). _I'm not sure if I'm over Sam yet..._ (lie). _It would be too weird with us in the same pack..._ (weak). Now that he spent half his time inside her head with her, all the things she didn't have words for were out there, unspoken and inarguable.

She would've been more embarrassed if the mind-reading hadn't gone all ways. The pack might know about her romantic stalemate with Embry, but she also knew about Seth's - ahem - _premature performance_ with a girl from his freshmen floor, which he was never going to live down. She knew that Brady had wicked crushes on Emily, Kim and Rachel (although she could hardly blame the kid - he was an eternally thirteen-year-old boy with a front row seat to the sex lives of three grown men). She also knew how relieved he was that his new pack's imprints were too young (or too undead) to interest him.

She knew that, buried even deeper than her secrets, or Embry's secrets, or Seth's or Brady's, Collin had a secret that he was absolutely terrified they'd find out. They'd all found out already, of course, but no one ever said anything.

That was the way the new pack got by. No one ever said anything.

Even she and Embry, who used to be so honest with each other, never talked about real stuff anymore. Their old, easy friendship had been reduced to painful silences and sneaky flirting. It was like there was a wall between them, and Leah wasn't sure if it was made up of all the things they had said, or all the things they hadn't.

"Hey, Claire," Quil said now, breaking into Leah's thoughts, "look who it is."

"Nessie!" Claire cried. Leah cracked one eye open to see Claire rocket down the beach toward Jake and Thing.

"Hey, Claire, how's it going?" Nessie asked, laughing as Claire hugged her waist.

"Come see our sandcastle!" Claire ordered, dragging Nessie back up the beach. Jake trailed behind them, beaming.

Seth came out of the water to talk to Jake and Thing, but Brady and Collin stayed out to catch the waves. After four months in the pack, Thing still made them uneasy. They were always polite - Jake had made it brutally clear that he wouldn't tolerate any so-called "anti-Cullen bullshit" - but they avoided her when they could. If Thing noticed, she never said.

She'd come back from Alaska in January more changed than Leah had expected. More changed than Jake had expected, too, Leah knew, and that was still hard for him.

Physically, she'd started to fill out - she was supposed to be nearly fifteen, and she looked it. She seemed to have gotten through her teen bitch phase, and was back to her usual chipper self, but something bigger had changed instead.

To put it briefly, as Leah preferred to, she'd grown up.

To analyze it endlessly, as Jacob did all the time, she was less exuberent, less open about her thoughts and feelings, less tomboyish, and less physically affectionate.

She was more sure of herself, too. That spring, she'd announced to her parents that she was going to high school in the fall. Not that she'd like to go - that she was going. Apparently they'd argued, but Nessie had been firm and had eventually won. She'd be a sophomore at Forks High in September. Leah and Embry joked (not in front of Jake) that some poor kid would fall in love with her, and the whole bloodsucking saga would start all over again.

Claire had finished explaining the different features of her sandcastle and Nessie was helping her decorate it with colored pebbles Claire and Quil had dug out of the beach. Seth and Jake were discussing the quality of the waves, and Leah let herself drift off again.

Then Embry moved so his temple was pressed against her hipbone and suddenly, Leah was wide awake, every nerve in her body like a livewire.

She slitted her eyes open, but no one else seemed to have noticed; Seth was asking Thing for news from the vamp hive and Quil and Claire were intent on their sandcastle.

Slowly, trying to be casual, Leah let her hand drift down her stomach until her fingers were tangled in Embry's hair. He pressed his head into her palm, and Leah bit her lip, ignoring the pounding blood in her temples and the squirm of desire in her stomach.

There had been a couple close calls between them since Christmas. Embry's exhibition had been the closest. It had been a huge success, of course - Embry's paintings had been a hit, and he'd sold a couple pieces out of the exhibition, and a few more off the website. He'd even got one commission, which Jamie said was huge.

Most of the tribe had come the first night, packing the place from wall to wall. Embry had been queasy with nerves, and Leah had pulled him into the hallway to calm down.

"This is awesome, Embry," she'd said fiercely, holding his face between her hands to make him look at her. He'd been sweating in his new suit, and his hair curled damply around her fingers. "You did this. No matter what happens now, no one can take this from you."

"Leah." He'd said it like a drowning man and pulled her against his chest, his heart fluttering against her collarbone.

"Hey, you're okay," she'd murmured, stroking his hair as he gripped her. "You're okay." She'd been so intent on soothing him that she hadn't noticed when he'd turned his face against her neck.

She'd noticed immediately, though, when his lips found her throat. Then her earlobe. Then her jaw.

She'd held perfectly still, frozen in place by terror and longing, as his mouth moved toward hers. Then-

"Oh, shit!"

They had wrenched apart, Leah blushing so hard that she thought her face might spontaneously combust.

"It's nothing," she'd snapped at Jacob - always freaking Jacob - who was cringing and covering his eyes. "What?"

"I was just, uh, bathroom!" he'd squeaked, sounding more like a chew-toy than an Alpha. "Looking for the bathroom. I didn't see anything. Please continue. With that."

"Get lost!" Embry had burst out, angrier than Leah had ever heard him.

"Gone!" Jake had called over his shoulder, already halfway down the hall.

Obviously, they hadn't continued, which hadn't stopped Jake from grinning like a moron for the next two weeks. Until he'd realized that nothing was going to happen between them, ever again. She knew that fact depressed Jake and pissed Quil off to no end, but it was none of their damn business, and what the hell was she supposed to do about it anyway? It wasn't like she and Embry could just sit down and talk about it. They both knew where the other stood. Apart from wolfy telepethy, it felt like the only form of communication they had anymore was this twisted game of sexual chicken.

"You excited to start school, Nessie?" Seth asked.

"Absolutely!"

"Oh, you're going to school this year?" said Claire, like it was totally normal. Growing up around the supernatural had made the kid pretty accepting. When your best friend could turn into a giant wolf, why shouldn't a girl three years younger than you look six years older? Made perfect sense.

"Yep," Thing told her. "I'm a little nervous, though. Any advice?"

"Don't pick fights," Claire said immediately, her bossy nine-year-old voice in full force. "Don't talk when the teacher's talking. And make sure you have a cool trapper."

"A what?"

"A trapper keeper," Claire explained, sounding gravely concerned by Thing's ignorance. "Don't you have your school stuff yet?"

"Oh," Thing said, her voice a little anxious. "Well, I'm sure my aunts will make sure I have everything I need."

"Hey, are we going wake-boarding, or what?" Jake asked her suddenly.

"Are you really that eager for me to school you?" Nessie teased.

"Please," Jake scoffed, a smile clear in his voice. "I taught you everything you know about wake-boarding."

"When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master," Thing intoned, obviously quoting something. Leah didn't get it, but the boys sure did. Jake, Seth and Quil cracked up, and even Embry laughed hard enough to shake Leah's hand out of his hair. Leah scowled, swallowing a surge of irritation.

"How long have you been waiting to say that?" Jake asked.

Leah heard Thing laugh and jump to her feet. "About half an hour."

"Nessie, what's _that_?" Claire asked.

Leah opened her eyes to see that Thing had pulled off her sundress to reveal a ruffled bikini top and gray gym shorts. On her left side, from the curve of her ribs to the jut of her hip, thin, white scars looped across her skin like a violent scrawl.

Thing was blushing and Jake was chewing his lips, probably to keep from snapping at Claire for upsetting his darling imprint.

"Sweetheart, that's not nice," Quil chided gently.

"No, it's okay," Nessie assured her, forcing a smile. "They're just scars, Claire."

Claire had been reaching toward Nessie's side, but had frozen at Quil's quiet reprimand. Now she glanced up at Nessie, who gave her an encouraging nod, and brushed her fingers across Nessie's scarred skin.

Nessie doubled over, sucking air through her teeth with a grimace of pain. Claire jerked her hand away, but Nessie was already laughing.

"I'm just kidding; they don't hurt."

Claire gave an indignant huff, but soon she was laughing too, and Jake and Quil both grinned, relaxed again.

"How did you get them?" Claire asked, examining the scars up close. Leah flashed back to that horrific day in the woods, Thing writhing in pain and covered in blood, Jake's whole body shaking as he sobbed into Barbie vamp's shoulder.

Thing glanced at Quil, who nodded his permission.

"They're vampire bites," she explained.

Claire flinched back with a gasp, but Nessie met her shocked stare with a calm smile.

Eventually, Claire's curiosity got the better of her and she looked back at the scars. Leah looked at them, too. She'd never actually seen the bites - just the blood. She could see why Nessie didn't usually show them off; the scars were bumpy and raised, each one curved like a ringworm under her skin. Also, they sort of sparkled.

"When did it happen?" Claire asked in a hushed voice, like she was visiting Nessie's deathbed.

"Years ago," Nessie said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "When I was even littler than you."

"I'm not little," Claire argued, crossing her chubby arms.

Nessie grinned. "Sure, sure."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"Did it hurt?" she asked after a moment.

Thing's smile faded. "For a while. Not anymore."

"How come you didn't turn into a vampire?"

Thing shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "I'm not sure. I guess since I'm half-vampire already, I'm immune to the venom." She paused, and her mouth quirked into a tiny smile. "You know. Mostly."

Lightening fast, she scooped Claire into her arms with a big, fake growl and started to tickle her.

Claire shrieked with laughter and Thing set her back down, grinning. Quil had tensed when Thing grabbed Claire, but he relaxed now, laughing along with his imprint.

After a moment, Claire turned serious again. "But why would a vampire bite you?"

"Because he was crazy," Jacob cut in, obviously finished with Claire's questions.

"Claire, come help me finish this sandcastle, huh?" Quil said, tugging one of her fingers. "Nessie's got to go kick Jake's butt at wake-boarding. We don't want to keep her from something as important as that."

Jake and Nessie waved and headed for the water, grabbing a couple boards on the way. Nessie whispered something and laughed, and Jake reached out to pinch her. She warded him off with her board and dashed into the water, her body a white blur.

"You're too slow, wolf boy!" she called over her shoulder, before their voices were drowned out by the crash of the waves.

"You know who Nessie reminds me of?" Claire asked after a while.

"Who?" Quil asked.

"Ariel."

Leah guessed that was one of her friends, but then Quil frowned and asked, "The Little Mermaid?" displaying way more knowledge of Disney princesses than any twenty-three year old guy should have.

"Yeah," Claire said with a shrug, sculpting the drawbridge of her castle. "You know, 'cause she tries so hard to be human, but she doesn't really know how."

Embry chuckled, and Leah raised her eyebrows at the unexpected burst of insight from Quil's little imprint. Thing didn't actually seem so strange to her these days. Maybe Leah had just gotten used to the weirdness.

Fifty yards out, Thing was lying on her board while Jacob floated upright beside her. Without a cloud in the sky, Thing's skin glowed so brightly that her body was haloed in a white aura.

Jake reached out and flipped Thing's board, tossing her into the water.

She didn't reappear right away, but an instant later, Jake's board flew upwards, sending him into the ocean in a tangle of arms and legs. They broke the surface together, laughing and trying to dunk each other.

"Yeah, I can see that," Quil said. "Maybe don't say that in front of Jake, though, okay?"

Claire rolled her eyes at him. "Well, _duh_."

* * *

Leah rolled her head from side to side, trying to work out the post-phase kinks in her neck. The joints cracked a few times and she gave a satisfied sigh before getting dressed and coming out from behind her tree.

Collin and Quil were waiting for her, dressed in cut-offs and nothing else. The weather had turned cold in the last couple weeks, but that never bothered the wolves.

"Good hustle tonight, guys," she said, leading the way out of the woods. "I'll call Jake to give the report."

"What, about all the vampires we _didn't_ find?" Quil snorted, rolling his eyes.

Collin stared at Quil with wide eyes, like he couldn't believe Quil's balls. Apparently, the pups had pretty scary memories of Leah from the old days. Leah didn't mind. In fact, she sort of enjoyed their half-terrified reverence. At least it kept them in line during her patrols.

Leah gave Quil a long, unimpressed stare that made Collin squirm. Quil just stared straight back.

"You have better things to be doing?" Leah asked.

"Actually-"

"That was a rhetorical question," Leah interrupted. "I don't really care what you'd rather be doing."

Quil gave her a mocking salute and walked off. He'd been copping a serious attitude with her lately. She knew it was mainly because of how she was dealing with Embry, but that was none of his business, and patrols were not the time to vent.

Leah shook it off and turned to Collin, who was hovering nearby, looking scared shitless. She wasn't sure if that was because of her icy exchange with Quil or because he'd been thinking about Brady's abs while the three of them were phased tonight.

She patted him on the shoulder. "Good patrol, Collin. Get some rest."

He gave her an eager smile and nodded. His shaggy hair fell into his eyes the way Embry's always did, and Leah turned away.

"'Night," she called over her shoulder, already jogging home.

Charlie's cruiser was in the driveway when she got there, which was too normal to be annoying anymore. Charlie spent most of his off-duty time at their place, and when he wasn't here, it was safe to assume that Mom wasn't, either. At least when they were at home, Leah could keep an eye on them.

She heard Mom's laugh as she opened the door and stepped inside. Once quick look told her she wasn't interrupting anything (thank Christ) - Mom and Charlie were sitting together on the couch, looking at a photo album.

"Look at this," Mom laughed. "Our wedding. You look more scared than Harry."

"Well, I should," Charlie rumbled, his moustache twitching. "Look at that hair. Amazed I didn't get attacked by nesting seagulls."

"Hey, hon," Mom said, looking up at Leah with a grin. "We're just looking at photos of your dad."

Realization hit Leah like a ton of bricks, and she swallowed a groan of horror.

Dad's birthday. She had forgotten Dad's birthday. For the first time in six years, on today of all days, she and Seth had both left Mom totally alone.

"Oh," was all she could say, but Mom just smiled and patted the space next to her.

Leah crossed the living room on numb legs, waiting for the bomb to fall, for Mom to start crying, or for Leah to start crying herself... but nothing happened.

Mom went back to flipping through the album. There was Leah as a baby, grinning between the beer bottles in Dad's cooler as he and Charlie laughed at the camera. There was Billy Black, lean and muscled and standing on his own, one arm around Dad's shoulders and one around Sarah Black's thickening waist.

Leah had forgotten her dad's birthday. And the world hadn't ended. The Universe hadn't struck her down for being a miserable daughter, and neither, it seemed, would Mom or Charlie.

She waited, tense, for the pain to rise up and swallow her whole, but that didn't happen either. Apart from the old, familiar ache of missing Dad, she felt okay.

Leah prodded the ache like a sore tooth, waiting for it to spark into the cold fire of heartbreak and rage that had consumed her after Dad's death, but it was gone. Today was just another day that he wasn't here.

They'd reached a photo of the family at Christmas. Four-year-old Seth was wearing Power Rangers footie pajamas and beaming in Dad's arms while Leah, gap-toothed and grinning, hugged her arms tight around Dad's waist.

Mom paused for just an instant and Charlie squeezed her knee. She gave him a grateful smile and turned the page.

* * *

Seth burst in half an hour later, wild-eyed and breathless, obviously having remembered the date and rushed home from wherever he'd been (the Cullens', by the smell of him).

Charlie left soon after, giving Mom a long, careful hug at the door. Leah couldn't bring herself to hug him, but she gripped his hand as he passed her, and he gave her a smile that made her feel equally guilty and grateful.

The three Clearwaters sat together for a while longer, not saying much. Finally, Mom kissed them both and went to bed.

"Can't believe I forgot," Seth muttered against his palms as he scrubbed his eyes.

"I had too, until I walked in," Leah said, rubbing one of his huge shoulders. "Charlie didn't, though."

"Of course not. He loves them both more than anything."

Leah didn't know what to say to that.

"I'm going to bed too, I guess," Seth said. "I've got work early tomorrow."

"Okay. Goodnight."

Seth looked back at her, worry creasing the skin around his eyes.

"Love you, sis."

Leah tried a smile and was relieved when it stuck. "Love you, bro."

* * *

She wasn't sure what time it was when she got to Embry's. Too late, definitely. She'd gone for a run on the beach to clear her head, and as the moon started to set, her paws had carried her here.

She circled the house on two legs. No need to give Mrs. Call a frigging heart attack - it would be bad enough if she found a girl lurking outside her son's room in the middle of the night.

Leah tapped on Embry's darkened window. When she heard him moving on the other side of the blinds, she found herself hurrying to smooth her hair and make sure her clothes were in place.

Embry only looked a little surprised to see her standing outside his bedroom in the foggy darkness. He opened the window, then moved back so she could climb in.

"Hey," he whispered, his voice rough with sleep. He rubbed his eyes, which were tired and half-closed, then slid his hand up to rumple his hair. "You okay?"

Leah hesitated. She hadn't planned out what she was going to say, and now that she was here, she was pretty sure that coming to Embry's had been one of the impulses she was supposed to be denying. She would have denied it, if she hadn't been so tired, or feeling so damn lost. Or missing him so damn much.

"Can I just... be here?" Leah asked, biting her lip. "Without it being complicated?"

Embry didn't hesitate. He just nodded and lay down, leaving room for Leah to lie down beside him. His bed was narrow, but they didn't touch at all until, after a few minutes of tense silence, Leah reached out and took his hand. She definitely wasn't thinking about her dad anymore, and she hoped to God that wasn't the reason she was doing this to both of them.

"Thank you," she whispered. Embry just squeezed her hand.

He fell asleep eventually, and Leah lay beside him, feeling the warm, living weight of him, feeling safe and loved and grateful that, for this moment at least, whatever the hell was between them was real.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** I'm so sorry to have been AWOL for the last month - December turned out to be just as hectic as November. A lot of this was written on transatlantic flights, and I hope it doesn't come off as incoherent and sleep-deprived as I was. Thank you for your patience, and thank you so much, as ever, for sticking with this story.

* * *

"If you want to play strip poker, I've got a deck of cards," Embry announced out of the blue. "And a naked body under these clothes."

He looked up at her from the floor and wiggled his eyebrows. Leah dropped her book onto her chest and arched an eyebrow.

"You'd lose way too quickly," she pointed out, nodding at his cut-offs. It was sleeting outside, but Leah's room somehow managed to be stifling. The body heat of two wolves could do that, she guessed. She felt a bead of sweat roll down her neck and considered cracking a window.

Embry rolled onto his back and Leah's breath hitched at the sight of his bare chest, all smooth contours and long muscles.

"Who said I'd lose?" he asked with a cocky grin.

"We could play Go Fish," Leah suggested, reaching across her bed to unlock the window. The metal frame squealed as Leah edged it up a couple inches, letting in a much-needed breeze. Leah closed her eyes and leaned into it, her back to Embry.

"But only after you finish that section," she added, turning back and nodding to his GED study guide.

Embry scowled and rolled onto his stomach, his hair spilling into his eyes until he shoved it back. From Leah's position on the bed, she could look down and see the perfect slope of Embry's shoulder blades and the shadows that shifted between them.

"I thought you were supposed to finish that yesterday," she couldn't help saying, even though she knew it would piss him off. Embry's mood swings were pretty predictable if you knew what brought them on. Hassling him for not studying definitely did it. Sure enough -

"I went out," Embry snapped.

Leah glared at the back of his head. "Out" meant Seattle, which used to mean visiting Jamie or Seth. Now it usually meant he was off somewhere trying to imprint.

Leah should have known that Embry's euphoria about his art show could only last for so long. It had been nearly a year, and without further exposure, the website hardly got any hits anymore. Leah knew Jamie was supportive, but he had real, paying students to worry about. And without Jamie's constant enthusiasm, Embry's half-baked, unspoken fantasies of becoming a professional artist seemed to have evaporated. Now instead of painting, he'd gone back to his half-desperate, half-sullen imprint search.

Of course his mom had noticed the change. Her way of dealing with it was to constantly nag Embry to get a real job and stop hanging out with "those deadbeat idiots at that garage." That was pretty rich, since the only one at a garage was Jake, and he was probably the least to blame for Embry's demotivation. At least Jake had got Embry working on something, even if he was approaching the GEDs the same way he searched for his imprint - like it was some miserable chore someone else was forcing him to do.

Leah knew Embry was only sticking with the studying because Jake was going to be taking the exam, too. Not that he needed to - his gazillionaire leech-in-laws would set him up for life. It was nice of him to try to cheer Embry up, though. God knew Leah couldn't figure out how to help him.

_You know, if you _really_ wanted to cheer Embry up..._ Quil had thought one night during patrol, his tone somehow both surly and suggestive. Leah had snarled and Quil had backed down with a mental sneer.

Yeah. Leah wasn't going to be doing that. But it wasn't like she had any other great ideas. Watching Embry spiral down like this - again - made her feel so damn helpless. Crazed, bloodthirsty leeches she could handle. Real problems like Embry's just sent her running scared. He'd always done the right thing for her with stuff like this. Why the hell couldn't she figure out how to do the same for him?

Embry turned to look at her suddenly, and Leah realized she'd been staring. She dropped her gaze, willing herself not to blush.

"Look, if you really don't want to study-" she began.

"Shut up."

Leah's jaw clenched with sudden fury.

"You know, I've had just about enough-"

Embry held up a hand, but Leah cut herself off, stopping mid-rant as she heard it, too. Over the wind and sleet, through trees and distance - the faint, lonely cry of a wolf.

They were both up and sprinting down the stairs before the call cut off.

Leah didn't stop to answer Mom's startled question or Charlie's shout of surprise as they dashed out the door and into the sleet, across the soggy, frozen grass of the backyard. As soon as they passed the tree line, Leah let the change rip through her, leaping forward to run on four legs.

The voices hit her from all sides.

_Brady, where are you?_

_How many-?_

_Can't tell, but I think they're close-_

_We're on our way-_

_Did you see-?_

_- not one of the Cullens -_

_Brady, you okay?_

Jake phased and his voice cut through the din.

_Brady, do not attack on your own, do you hear me? Now, listen and smell. What do you sense?_

Brady's mind had been blurry with adrenaline, but he steadied under Jake's words and tried to do as he was told. Leah could see the forest through all of their eyes, and she focused in on Brady's view, letting the pack mind guide her to him.

They could all smell what Brady did, and the sharp, sweet stench of bloodsucker (definitely not one of the Cullens, and definitely close) burned in Leah's nose.

She listened hard to the steady hiss of sleet on leaves and the rhythmic thud of paws on frozen ground. There were no other sounds - not even any birds or animals. Bad sign.

_On your left!_ Quil yelled, and then it was - a tall, redheaded leech launched itself at Brady, its red eyes flashing, its hands curved into claws.

Brady leapt back just in time and the leech hit the ground in a crouch, prepared for a second attack.

Leah wasn't sure who started the howl, but they all took it up, their calls rising and mingling in the ice-filled air, letting the bloodsucker know that Brady wasn't alone, and that his pack was coming.

The leech looked around, startled, and Brady took the opening at a run.

_Careful!_

_Brady, no!_

_Watch the teeth!_

_Don't let it get its arms around you!_

But Brady's jaws snapped on empty air as the vamp twisted and dodged faster than seemed possible. The leech kicked Brady in the side and he went down with a whine.

Leah got there first. She'd outpaced Embry somewhere in the woods, but she could feel the pack closing in, and she was determined that the fight would be over by the time they got there. This was one thing she knew how to do.

The leech whirled to face her, turning its back on Brady, who was struggling to get up.

Leah snarled and darted forward, but was forced back as the bloodsucker took a swing at her.

_Leah!_

It seemed like the cry came from everywhere at once, but the only voice she heard was Embry's, raw with terror and rage.

She threw herself sideways, but not fast enough, and she bit back a yelp as bright, sharp pain lanced across her back.

Leah turned, snarling, to face a dark-skinned female leech. It hissed back at her.

Leah could hear Brady holding his own against the male, and she plunged forward, catching the female by the arm.

The creature screamed like a banshee and swung a fist at Leah's head. Leah braced for the pain, but the blow never landed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of dark fur as Embry yanked the tick's other arm off with a sound like wrenching steel.

Similar noises echoed through the forest, along with the snarls of the pack as they pulled the two vampires apart, piece by piece.

Just as suddenly as it had started, it was over, and all that was left were icy shards.

_You guys okay?_

_You're bleeding-_

_I'm fine-_

_Brady, your ribs-_

_-already healed-_

_Quiet._

Jake's command was low, but they all shut up immediately. Jake turned to look at Brady.

_You okay, Brady?_

_Sure, boss_, Brady said with an anxious tail wag, but no one missed his soft whine as he shifted his weight.

Jake sighed, gazing into the forest. Leah could see his thoughts flicker to Doc Fang, and she was pretty sure she knew where this was going.

_Leah-_

_It's fine_, she told him before he could ask. Their first leeches in months and she'd allowed a pack mate and herself to get hurt. It was pathetic. She gritted her teeth, trying to squash her anger – Jake hated it when she went all lone wolf. _Already closed. I'm good._

Jake's eyes flicked to Embry before he nodded.

_Okay. Leah, you and Embry run the treaty line. I don't want anything else getting past us tonight. Quil and Collin, run up to Neah Bay, make sure everything's fine on the Makah rez._

_Got it_, Quil said before Jake had even finished. He trotted into the woods, looking back at Collin. Who hadn't moved.

_Where's Brady going?_ Collin demanded, although Leah could tell he already knew.

_The Cullens are our allies, Collin_, Jake reminded him. His tone was gentle, but they could hear the edge to his thoughts. _I'm taking him there myself._

_It's cool_, Brady assured them, but he was scared.

_Let's go, Collin_, Quil said, getting impatient.

Collin planted his paws defiantly. _I don't like it._

Leah didn't know if wolves could look incredulous, but if they could, she was pretty sure she did right now. Twitchy little Collin, standing up to the Alpha? Quil's mouth actually dropped open, which looked pretty dumb, considering he had a snout.

Jake didn't growl or posture like Sam would have, but his eyes narrowed as he stared down at Collin.

_I don't like that Brady's ribs are healing wrong_, he said, letting the Alpha seep into his voice. _And I don't like that you don't trust me to take care of my pack._

_I do trust you-_ Collin protested.

_Drop it, man, it's fine_, Brady grumbled. He shifted closer to Jake and winced as his broken ribs moved.

Collin huffed, his tail drooping. Leah couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him.

_Fine_, he muttered, then wheeled around and dashed off after Quil, who had already disappeared into the gloom.

Jake watched them go before he looked at Leah and Embry.

_I'll be back soon. Be safe._ He and Brady started limping back to the rez.

Leah glanced at Embry, who was watching her silently with his big, dark eyes. She could feel him struggling not to think about how it had felt to see her get attacked, and she brushed off his concern.

_At least you're not studying_, she joked. Embry snorted and they headed off.

Patrol was quiet. The sleet faded into rain, which finally stopped. Quil and Collin hadn't scented anything yet, and they were both keeping their thoughts quiet.

It took a painful half hour for Jake and Brady to get to the Blacks' house. Through Jake's eyes, Leah could see the porch light, shining like a beacon through the trees, and could just make out Billy waiting in his chair by the door. Nessie was sitting at his feet, and Leah felt Jake's usual rush of pleasure and relief at seeing her, stronger now because of the danger in the woods.

"He's back!" Nessie told Billy, leaping to her feet. She dashed across the lawn to meet them at the edge of the woods, throwing her arms around Jake's neck and burying her face in his fur.

When she leaned back to look at him, Leah felt Jake's sorrow and remorse as he noticed tears in her eyes. He whined and nudged her stomach with his nose.

Nessie gave a weak laugh and scratched his ears.

"Of course _I'm_ fine, you doofus," she said, grinning from ear to ear. She glanced at Brady and her smile vanished.

"What's wrong with Brady?"

Jake and Brady phased a few moments later, and Leah turned her full attention to patrol. Her back felt stiff where the skin was still healing, and her legs and stomach were spattered with rain and mud. This was definitely not how she'd envisioned her Wednesday night.

_See?_ Embry said, a wry twist to his thoughts. _If we'd just played strip poker, you could be naked right now._

* * *

It was over an hour later when Jake phased on the edge of Cullen land. The male Cullens were running beside him, except the doctor, who had stayed behind to keep an eye on Brady.

Brady was back at vamp manor, healing from his re-broken ribs. Nessie was sitting with him, and he was heavily sedated, so Leah guessed that he'd been either too terrified or too doped up to complain about Jake leaving him behind.

_He's fine_, Jake growled as Collin's anxiety spiked. Leah winced, pissed at herself for freaking Collin out again.

_Sure he is_, she agreed quickly, for Collin's benefit as much as Jake's. _And by the way, there's nothing out here. Not up at Neah Bay, either._

_Good_, Jake said, exchanging a look with Edward.

That reminded Embry that Edward could hear their thoughts as long as they were connected to Jake, and he immediately began singing the alphabet song in his head. Quil struck up a duet with Happy Birthday.

Jake ground his teeth and Edward laughed, which earned him weird looks from the other bloodsuckers. Leah didn't know why - they had to be used to Edward acting crazy by now.

Edward laughed again.

_Glad everyone's having such a good time_, Leah snapped. _Can we hurry up and get this over with before I kill Embry and Quil?_

Embry sent her a mock-offended look. _L-M-N-O-bitch-P..._

_You forgot "N"_, Leah told him sweetly.

Embry hesitated. _What? No, I didn't!_

_Sorry, you're right. Now where were you?_

_I was at... Dammit, Leah!_

Collin finally laughed, and Leah smiled to herself.

_Hey Embry - Row, Row, Row Your Boat on three_, Quil called. _One, two..._

Jake gave a wolfy groan, which sounded kind of like a yowl. Edward smirked at him.

"You think this is bad? You should see some of the things these two think about their wives."

The bigger one laughed, and he must have started thinking about Blondie, because Edward's face twisted in disgust.

"That is truly obscene, Emmett," he said.

Emmett leered. "Don't knock it til you've tried it, bro."

That was pretty much how things went for the rest of the night. They didn't find any other leeches, but they did learn some of Emmett and Jasper's old nicknames for Edward ("Prudeward" was definitely going to stick), and Leah was pretty sure she'd never get "The Song That Doesn't End" out of her head again.

Leah and Embry walked most of the way back to the rez together. Neither of them had clothes, so they didn't phase. As soon as Quil and Collin had, Embry stopped walking. Leah stopped to look at him.

Embry stepped forward and nuzzled her neck. Jake, who was running to Forks to pick up Brady, tried to ignore them.

_Don't ever scare me like that again, Leah_, Embry thought.

_Gee, I'll try_, Leah thought back, but her sarcasm was pretty much ruined by the emotions that were coursing through her at his touch.

Jake's mind abruptly disappeared from theirs, and Embry licked her ear.

_Please do try, _he thought with a shaky sigh. _I kind of don't know what I'd do without you._

Dawn was cresting on the horizon when Leah finally got home, dirty, stiff, and exhausted. Mom had left some clothes on the porch, which turned out to be a really good thing, since Charlie was sitting at the kitchen table glaring at a cup of coffee like it had just given him the finger.

Leah stared at him, annoyed. So he was just flagrantly sleeping here now, was that it? Or maybe only when Leah was out on patrol, risking her neck against his daughter's bloodsucking friends? She could hear the shower running in the upstairs bathroom, and guessed she should be grateful they weren't in it together.

"I thought I'd better stick around with your mom while she waited up for you," Charlie said, like he could read her mind. Leah felt a surge of guilt, which made her even angrier.

"Okay," she said. She pursed her lips for a long moment before spitting out, "Thanks."

"Not a problem," he said, still looking at that cup. "Esme called around three to say you all were fine. I don't even want to know how she's involved."

"She was right," Leah heard herself say. "You didn't have to stay."

Charlie turned to look at her then, and to Leah's surprise, his expression wasn't angry. It wasn't even annoyed. It was just... worried.

"Leah, I know I'm not allowed to know what you kids are doing out in the woods every other night, when you're all..." he gestured vaguely at his own head, indicating ears and a snout. Leah's lips twitched as she held back a smile.

"Truth is, I probably don't want to know. And I definitely don't want to know what it has to do with the Cullens, or with Bella and Nessie. But I want you to know that I've got your back."

His eyes were on her, intense and sincere, his forehead creased with worry, like Mom's almost always was. "Whatever you need, Leah, if I can give it - I don't need to understand why. You just say the word, and I'm there."

Leah stared at him, moved in spite of herself.

After a moment, she dropped her gaze to the floor and crossed her arms, embarrassed. Charlie seemed embarrassed too, and cleared his throat.

"You know," he rumbled, "to hide the bodies, or whatever."

Leah did smile then. Charlie's moustache twitched in response.

"Coffee?" he asked.

Leah hesitated. "Sure," she said, sliding into the chair across from him. Her hands were filthy and her arms and legs were caked with mud, but Charlie didn't say anything. They sat in silence and watched the dawn creep into the kitchen.

* * *

The next few patrols were uneventful, even though Jake had them out in pairs every night. The Cullens were keeping an eye on Forks, which at least lightened the pack's load.

Brady had returned to La Push the morning after his injury, tired, but otherwise no worse for wear. Well, unless you counted an inappropriate crush he'd developed on Nessie, which Jake was handling with slightly irritated tolerance. Collin was annoyed and trying to hide it. Basically, it was back to business as usual for the pack.

On the Thursday after the leech attack, Leah had an all-day shift at the store. Meg's son had swept in from Los Angeles and convinced her she absolutely had to digitize everything, and she'd put Leah in charge of the changeover. Leah had been saying the same thing for years, but of course Meg didn't listen to her.

Whoever's idea it was, it was better than being a stock monkey. Leah had the inventory sorted out in a spreadsheet, and had even set up automatic reminders to order certain stock. As she headed home, she fantasized about getting Meg to pay her to set up a website for the touristy, souvenier-type crap the store sold.

"Mom?" Leah called as she kicked the front door shut behind herself. She hesitated, then added, "Charlie?"

There was no answer to either, and Leah felt her shoulders relax. Charlie was all right, but it was nice to have the place to herself.

She put a pot of spaghetti on the stove to cook, then headed into the living room to find something on TV.

She'd just found a rerun of Family Guy when she heard a knock at the front door. Leah groaned as she went to answer it, looking over her shoulder to keep an eye on the television. She opened the door and turned to face her guest.

"Collin?"

Collin's head was lowered and his fists were shoved into the pockets of his jeans. He scuffed a sneaker against the front step and peered up at her through his hair.

"Hey."

"We don't have patrol," she reminded him. "It's Embry and Jake tonight."

"I know. I was just, uh..." he winced and ducked his head even lower. "I was hoping I could talk. To you."

Collin's nervousness was starting to make her nervous, but she stood back and waved him in.

"What's up?" she asked, leading him into the kitchen. She went to the stove to poke at the spaghetti and Collin stood, fidgeting, by the table.

"This whole thing with Brady has been really weird, huh?" he asked. Leah gave him a look out of the corner of her eye. He was trying to look all casual and failing miserably, and Leah didn't feel like playing games. If this was about him not liking their allegiance with the Cullens, well, he could just shut up and join the club.

"What do you mean?"

"I just mean... you know... Brady almost gets killed and then he goes to the Cullens' place and now he, like, likes Nessie or whatever, I don't know it's just..." His voice got too low to make coherent sounds, but Leah was pretty sure she got the idea.

"Collin, have you ever heard the expression, 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'?"

Collin snorted.

"Yeah. I guess I should. Emmett, Jasper and Edward seem all right."

"And Nessie?" Leah prompted. Not that she cared about that, but Collin had better snap out of his grudge against Nessie if he didn't want a spanking from Jake next time they all had patrol together.

Collin stared at his feet. "She's okay, too, I guess," he grumbled. Leah leaned against the counter and folded her arms, waiting for more. She didn't have to wait long.

"It's just so stupid," Collin burst out. "I mean, she's never going to like him, right? She's Jake's imprint. She has to pick him, doesn't she? It's just like Emily, Rachel and Kim all over again. Why does Brady even bother?"

"First of all, Nessie doesn't have to pick anyone. That's not how imprinting works," Leah said, stabbing the mass of boiling pasta. She swiched off the burner and poured the pot out into a sieve. "Brady will just have to figure that out on his own, like anyone else. Do you want some pasta?"

Collin glanced up and shook his head with a scowl. Leah raised her eyebrows, concerned.

"What did you really want to talk about, Collin?"

Collin rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet like he'd hooked a fish and was trying to reel it back in.

"LeahIthinkImightbegay," he erupted at last.

Leah blinked, her heart in he throat. "Uh. What?"

Collin's eyes were closed when he said it again. "I'm gay."

Leah had just enough sense not to say, _I know_. Unfortunately, all her sensitivity got used up on keeping her mouth shut, and she had no idea where to go from there. Why the hell was he telling her this? Didn't he know that she was no use unless she was killing something? What could she possibly say to help him with something like this?

"Okay."

Collin cracked one eye, then the other. Finally, he looked at her.

"Okay?" he repeated. Leah cringed.

"Yeah. I mean, it's okay. I mean, of course it is."

Crap. Shit. Collin needed someone sensitive and thoughtful to help him with this stuff, and she was already screwing it up.

Collin frowned, his brow furrowed. "It is?"

"Of course," Leah repeated, wondering why he even had to ask. "Collin, you're in my pack. Nothing comes between that. You're still you."

Collin gave a bright, relieved smile, but it faded fast.

"The guys won't think that."

"Of course they will," Leah said, voice firm. "You should have more faith in them."

She dropped a plate of pasta onto the table in front of him.

"Eat. It's weird if you're just watching me."

Collin sighed, poking at his food. "I'll never imprint."

Leah stopped twirling pasta onto her fork and stared at him.

"I mean, I hope I don't, because if I did, I could never be into her like that, and then I'd just be following some girl around forever. I mean, Jake and Quil obviously love it, and Embry and Brady want it to happen to them, but..." he shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought that... maybe you would get it."

Leah did get it. More than she wanted to.

"Sometimes I think..." Collin trailed off, scraping his spaghetti back and forth across his plate. His forehead was resting in his hand so Leah couldn't see his face. "Sometimes I feel like I have to work twice as hard as everyone else, just to make up for the fact that I'll never have kids that will protect the tribe."

Leah stared out the window, blinking hard to keep the colors from bluring before her eyes.

"I know the feeling," she whispered. She hadn't totally meant to say it out loud, but the expression in Collin's eyes when he looked up at her made her glad she had.

"What do you do about it?"

Leah gave him a lop-sided shrug and a lop-sided smile. "Well, I became Jake's second, for one thing."

Collin nodded and looked back at the table.

"Look, don't worry about it, okay?" Leah said, wishing for the right words. "You are who you are, and that's okay. None of us know what the future holds - for ourselves, or for the pack. For now, I'd say you're doing just fine."

Collin nodded, chewing his lips. His eyes were still lowered, but Leah could tell from the way his face was twisting that he was trying not to cry.

"I'm so tired of trying to hide," he mumbled, his voice breaking.

Leah's throat burned as she watched Collin struggling not to break down. Sweet little Collin, who used to think she was the most beautiful girl in the world, who'd stuck with Brady through all his stupid, hopeless crushes, who'd phased at _thirteen_, for Christ's sake, and who had tried to bury himself so deep that even his pack mates wouldn't know him.

There was really nothing she could say. He'd already been through more shit than she could imagine, and the worst part was, they were all so wrapped up in their own lives that none of them had really noticed. Or maybe they'd just been too scared or too selfish to say anything.

Leah dragged her chair around the table so she was knee-to-knee with Collin. He looked up with tears in his eyes, and Leah put her arms around his shoulders and hugged him.

Collin didn't hesitate like Jake would have, and he didn't squeeze the breath out of her like Seth did. He just hugged her back, taking what comfort she had to offer and hanging on.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** So, I finally saw Breaking Dawn. Was anyone else disappointed by how little screen time Leah, Seth and Jacob got? _Yes_, the CGI on Kristen Stewart was very impressive, but personally, I think the pack's transformation is a lot more interesting. What did you think?

I really hope you enjoy this chapter. Your reviews, as ever, are inspiration. You guys make this a blast! Thanks so much for reading.

* * *

"So, uh," Collin started after the dishes had all been washed and put away, "would you come with me when I tell Jake?"

"Why?" Leah asked, frowning as she dried her hands. Not that she'd miss a chance to watch Jake sweat as he tried to be all tactful and sensitive, but she couldn't see how she'd be any help to Collin.

"You know," Collin said with a shrug. "You're, like, the one everyone goes to with problems. You're like the mom!"

Leah's mouth dropped open.

"I'm like the _what?_"

Collin blanched. "I don't mean that you're old or anything. I mean, obviously, you're not old. No, you're really..." He sort of flailed at her and Leah folded her arms, eyebrows arched.

"Let me start again," Collin begged.

"Please do."

"I just mean, whenever shit goes down in someone's life, you're the person they go to. You know, Jake always tells you when stuff's going on with the Cullens, and Embry brings all his shit to you, and obviously you're Seth's big sister... you're like, the one who takes care of us."

Leah's cheeks burned and there was a weird rushing in her ears.

"I'm not," she told him, biting her lips to keep from smiling. The most beautiful girl, the one who takes care of us... Collin was seriously going to give her a freaking complex. Ass-kissing little twerp.

"Fine, okay, you're not." Collin hit her with the puppy eyes. "Will you please just talk to Jake with me?"

Of course she did. She told Jake she needed to see him alone the next afternoon, and she and Collin met him in his garage at three.

Jake took it just as well as Leah had expected, although with disappointingly little stuttering.

"Oh," he said, shooting a confused glance at Leah. She narrowed her eyes at him and he caught on. "Oh! Okay, that's great. I mean, is it great? Are you cool about it?"

Collin shrugged, looking anywhere but at Jake. "Yeah, I guess. So far it's fine."

"Good. Great," Jake said, clapping Collin on the shoulder. Collin finally looked up at him then, and Jake pulled him into a brotherly hug. "Good for you, man. I'm sure Brady will appreciate the decreased competition."

Leah glared at him, afraid that the mention of Brady would crush Collin's mood, but Collin just snorted.

"You think he'll be okay about it?" he muttered, ducking his head on the pretense of scratching his ear.

"Of course," Jake said, with the easy grin Leah could never manage. "Nothing comes between our family."

And of course, he was right. Quil reacted just like Jake had, and Embry laughed and said, "Thank _god_! Finally someone to help me with the ladies. This little bastard just steals them," adding a playful punch to Brady's chest. Any twinge Leah felt at the joke was buried in relief for Collin.

Even Brady took it well, although he didn't say much – just blushed a little and punched Collin in the shoulder a bunch of times. From her position on the sidelines, Leah finally let her face relax into a smile. _Boys_.

The dust, if there had been any at all, settled quickly and everything went back to normal.

Well, not completely normal. For some reason, Leah couldn't get what Collin had said out of her head. _The one who takes care of us._ Obviously, he was just a doofus puppy. But he'd trusted her with the most important thing anyone had ever trusted her with, and that meant a hell of a lot more than words.

She thought about Embry, and the problems he'd brought to her, and the ones she'd brought to him. She thought about what he wanted from her but had never asked her to give. She thought about what she could give him instead. And slowly, out of the dreary monotony of her daily life, she started to get an idea.

* * *

"What do you think?" Embry asked, stepping away from the wall. They were at the back of the General Store, where they kept all the La Push souveniers: woven bracelets and handmade drums, surfboard keychains and vials of sand from First Beach – and now, three of Embry's paintings. Meg hadn't actually needed much convincing, in the end.

"They look good," Leah said. And they did look good, even if the lame atmosphere made them look out of place and slightly tacky. She'd throw herself off a cliff before she said that to Embry. Anyway, she was pretty sure he already knew. "You know, it's worth a shot," she added quickly. "We always get tons of tourists during the summer vacation. I'm sure they'll love these."

"Fingers crossed," Embry muttered. "At least it's got Mom off my back for about five minutes."

Leah took a deep breath.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that," she said, lowering her voice so the shoppers at the front of the store couldn't hear. She was pretty sure Embry was going to hate this idea, but it was the only one she had. "I was thinking it could be good for your mom to spend some time with us, you know? Like, maybe she should come to a pack dinner at my place?"

Embry looked at her like she was crazy, and Leah's shoulders stiffened.

"What?" she demanded.

"Are you serious? How long do you think it will take for my mom and Jake to punch each other in the face?"

"Jake won't punch anyone," Leah snapped. "He thinks it's a good idea."

Embry raised a skeptical eyebrow. "He said that? He and Quil hate my mom."

"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, they sort of like you. They think this could really help."

Embry frowned, apparently thinking it over.

"This was your idea?"

Leah folded her arms defensively. "Yes."

Embry shrugged. "Okay."

"Uh. What?"

"If you think it's a good idea, let's do it."

"Okay," Leah said, surprised and suddenly doubting herself. Maybe this had been a horrible idea.

"And Leah?" Embry said over his shoulder as he headed for the door. Leah looked up and he gave her a half-smile. "Thanks."

* * *

"Why do I even get myself into these messes?" Leah grumbled.

"Because you're in love with Embry?" Seth suggested with his mouth full.

Leah slammed the fridge door.

"So _very_ glad you're home for the summer, asswipe."

Seth laughed and headed into the living room.

"And I'm not in love with Embry!" Leah yelled after him.

"Yikes."

She whirled around to see Quil standing in the back door. Her face burned as she glared at him.

"Screw you," she snarled. "You'd better be here to make yourself useful."

Quil grinned. "Relax. I brought a bunch of card tables and chairs and stuff from Sam and Em's. They're coming later with the kids and some food. And by 'some food,' I mean Emily's been cooking all day."

"Well, at least _someone's_ contributing," Leah said, loud enough for Seth to hear.

"I just did finals," Seth called back. "My brain is tired."

"Aww, poor wittle Sethy," Quil cooed, leaning into the living room. "Is big, bad college too hard for your tiny puppy brain?"

Quil ducked as a pillow flew through the living room door and bounced off the fridge.

"You Clearwaters, man." Quil laughed and leaned against the counter. "Such bad attitudes."

As annoying as he was, Quil did manage to get Seth to set up tables outside. Mom and Charlie got home from work at about the same time, and Mom ran around setting out dishes while Charlie got the grill fired up.

Brady and Collin arrived in time to help Sam and Emily unload a car-full of food while Quil and Claire attempted to coral Taylor and Andrew. Pretty soon, it was time for Embry and his mom to arrive. The only one missing was Jake.

Leah had spent the week grocery shopping and cleaning and trying to organize everything into some semblance of normalcy so she wasn't just making things worse by proving that they really were a pack of delinquents, after all. Jacob was _not_ going to mess it up.

He answered his phone on the second ring, and Leah could tell by his voice that he'd just remembered where he was supposed to be.

"I'm guessing you forgot," she said, grinding her teeth.

"I didn't forget," Jake argued. "I'm just... running late."

Leah bit back a growl. _Running late._ She knew exactly what that meant.

"And now you have to take Thing home."

Jake hesitated and Leah realized that Nessie's freaky-ass senses probably meant she'd heard that. Shit.

"Yeah," Jake muttered after a moment. "Look, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Great first impression, Jacob," Leah snarled to cover up her embarrassment. "And wear something nice. Like shoes." She hung up before he could argue.

With Nessie. Of course. He'd been spending nearly all his free time with her now that he had a full-time job and she was in school. Leah had hoped he'd cool off a little now that school was out and Thing had her days free again, but no such luck.

It wasn't that Leah really disliked Nessie very much anymore. Mixing with mere mortals had definitely made Thing act more like a person and less like an extremely lifelike porcelain doll. Leah had heard that she'd even tricked her folks into letting her go to a kegger and had got so drunk she'd had to call Jacob to pick her up. That had been pretty classic.

Yeah, Leah definitely liked Nessie better now. Except when she did something to remind them all just how much she had Jacob tied up in knots.

She heard a car engine and turned to look through the front window. Embry and his mom, right on schedule. Leah's stomach twisted and she straightened her shoulders. _Here goes nothing._

Mom beat Leah to the front door, shooting her an encouraging, if slightly manic, smile on the way.

"Tiffany!" she called, hurrying forward to give Mrs. Call an awkward hug. "So glad you could come! It's great to see you."

"Hey," Leah greeted, loping up behind her mother. Embry caught her eye and grimaced. "Why – why don't you come on back?" she stuttered, looking at Mrs. Call. It was pretty clear that she was here against her will; she was sucking a cigarette through pursed lips and a muscle was twitching in her jaw.

"Nice to see you too," Mrs. Call managed. "Hello, Leah."

They walked in silence to the backyard, where all the talking and laughter seemed suddenly out of place. Thankfully, Quil came over right away, clapping Embry on the shoulder with a smile that was hardly forced at all.

"Hey, man. Hi, Mrs. Call. Can I get you something to drink? Emily makes some insanely good lemonade."

"Lemonade is fine, thanks," Mrs. Call said, flicking ash off the end of her cigarette. Quil disappeared to the drinks table and a fresh silence stretched out and made itself at home.

"Oh, Embry, I meant to tell you," Leah invented in desperation, "we might have some more space at the store for another painting if-"

Embry shook his head and Leah cut off mid-sentence. Mrs. Call was watching her through narrowed eyes.

"Have any of them sold?" she asked.

Leah felt her back stiffen and narrowed her eyes right back. "Not yet. But it's pretty early in the season, and we've already had a lot of comments on them." _You bitch_, she added mentally.

"Hm," Mrs. Call said, raising an eyebrow at Embry. He didn't look at her.

"Hey, Tiffany," Charlie said, appearing in their group with a beer and a grin. "How's things at the plant since Joe, Jr. took over?"

Leah shot a grateful look at Charlie, who caught her eye and winked.

Charlie and Mrs. Call seemed to know all the same people, and the conversation lasted through two glasses of lemonade and the first round of burgers. Emily and Sam soon brought their boys over, which was definitely a good move, and Mrs. Call thawed out as she listened to Taylor recite the alphabet and spell everyone's name.

Jake finally showed up looking flustered. He glanced at Leah, then planted himself next to Mrs. Call with a face like a martyr. Embry asked him about the garage and they talked about that for a while. Mrs. Call didn't comment, but Leah hoped she was taking it all in. When Seth came over, Mrs. Call managed to ask him a few questions about his sophomore year at UW. He actually sounded mature and responsible for once, and Leah was pretty sure Mrs. Call was impressed.

Embry finally seemed to feel comfortable enough to leave his mom alone for a few minutes and went to kick a soccer ball with Quil and Claire. Claire was turning out to be pretty sporty, and Taylor was old enough to copy whatever Claire did, so there were a lot of shrieks and laughs from the other side of the yard as Taylor went tearing after the ball and tripped over his own feet.

The grown-ups, which now weirdly included Sam and Emily, were having quiet but seemingly friendly conversation at the picnic table. Brady pulled out a pack of cards and Jake, Seth, Collin and Leah gathered around to play Spoons and, of course, to eat more. After a few rounds, Andrew toddled over and nestled into Seth, who pulled him onto his lap and gave him a spoon to chew on.

It was a late sunset, and the light was fading from the sky by the time people started to talk about heading home. Everyone offerred to help clean up, but Mom shooed them away with her typical line: "that's why I had two kids." Leah rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help smiling as people said goodbye and began to drift away. Somehow, everyone had pulled together and the evening had gone better than she'd even hoped.

Embry started helping Seth carry in dishes, politely ignoring Mom's protests. Leah was collecting empty bottles and cans when she realized she was alone in the backyard with Mrs. Call.

"I hope you had a good time," she said. Mrs. Call's face glowed in the light from her cigarette as she smiled, and Leah wondered if it was just the weird lighting that made her look so tired.

"It was nice, Leah. Thank you."

"Sure."

They were silent except for the clanking of glass and metal as Leah filled their recycling crate.

"You have a really nice family," Mrs. Call said after a moment.

Leah hesitated, watching her. "Embry's part of it."

Mrs. Call inhaled and the light of her cigarette flared red.

"I can see that. Thank you for bringing him into it."

Leah's brow furrowed as she frowned. "He was always in it."

Mrs. Call cocked her head and squinted at Leah, like she was trying to figure her out. Leah held still, hoping Mrs. Call liked what she saw, at the same time reminding herself that she really didn't care.

"Ready to go, Ma?" Embry called from the back step.

Mrs. Call nodded and got to her feet, and Embry disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Thanks again, Leah. Come see Embry anytime."

Leah sighed, bizarrely relieved. She didn't care what anyone thought of her, least of all Tiffany Call. So why did she feel like she'd just passed a test?

Mom walked Embry and Mrs. Call out to their car. Seth was cleaning up in the backyard, so Leah went to give Charlie a hand with the dishes.

"Nice party," he said when he spotted her.

"Thanks."

"Think Tiffany was impressed with you kids."

"You mean we didn't seem like a vicious rez gang?"

"No one's thought that for a long time," Charlie reminded her.

"Right."

They worked in silence, Charlie washing and Leah drying. Mom and Seth bustled in and out, putting things in the fridge and carrying bags of trash, but mostly they were alone.

"That Embry's a nice kid," Charlie said eventually.

Leah gave him her deadliest glare, but Charlie, damn him, didn't look up to see it. After a moment, he went on.

"I don't know if you want to hear this, or if I've even got the right to tell you, but your dad wasn't too happy about you dating Sam."

Leah bit back a growl, wiping savagely at a freshly rinsed plate.

"I know that."

Dad had never been subtle about his opinions, even if he did express them less forcefully than Mom did. He'd always thought that Sam was too old for her, and had said as much to anyone who'd listen. Whenever Sam and Leah hung out at the Clearwaters', Dad would install himself in a corner and glower at them. He and Leah had had more than a few fights about it, the worst one after he'd caught Leah and Sam in bed together. Mom's fury had paled in comparison. In fact, Dad had only really started liking Sam once he'd broken up with Leah.

"Not just 'cause he was older," Charlie said now. "Harry used to say that you just shone too bright for Sam. That the guy you picked should be able to see that you weren't just _his_ whole world – you were _the_ whole world."

He glanced sideways at Leah, but her eyes were frozen on the dish in her hands.

"I guess every dad feels like that," he said after a moment. "But he said that any guy good enough for you would have to be smart enough to know that _you_ were the boss."

Leah drew a shaky breath, blinking hard. After another moment, Charlie cleared his throat.

"All right, I'm done blabbing now. You can tell me to go to hell."

He started scrubbing a saucepan and Leah finished drying the dish. Her heart was thudding somewhere in her throat, and it was a while before she felt safe to talk.

"I wish he was here," she whispered at last, but her voice still sounded warped and watery. She looked away from Charlie and blinked a few more times.

Charlie turned off the faucet and sighed.

"Me too, Leah," he said. "Every day."

They didn't say anything more as they finished clearing up.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** So sorry this is so late! This chapter was particularly difficult to write. I'd love to hear what you think.

Thank you for your patience and, as always, for your wonderful reviews.

* * *

"I cannot believe we had to wait for you to do your _hair_," Leah teased, putting her hand against Embry's cheek and giving it a shove.

Embry laughed and let her move him, dancing sideways to keep his balance.

"Hey, just 'cause you don't care about looking pretty doesn't mean the rest of us can't."

"Oh yeah," Leah snorted, "maybe you could give me some tips on waxing my chest like you."

The trees thinnned out as they reached the edge of the woods, and Leah could just make out Jake's garage through the leaves and fog. Seth was walking a few yards ahead, and Leah thought she heard him mutter "finally" before he broke into a jog.

Leah didn't care. Things had been really good with Embry since the cookout with his mom. Seth could be as grumpy and little-brotherly as he wanted – nothing was bringing Leah down today. Not even the telltale whiff of leech that told her Thing was here when they were supposed to be having a pack meeting.

Leah and Embry entered the garage a few steps behind Seth. Jake was doing freelance work on some Forks real estate agent's convertable, and it was parked in the middle of the room with the top down and the hood up. Thing was stretched out in the backseat, reading a fashion magazine. She'd been grounded for a month for sneaking out and getting drunk at a high school party in June, and now that the vamps had let her out on parol, she was at La Push almost constantly.

"Hey, guys!" she chirped.

"Hey, sea monster," Seth said, giving her a high-five. "Improving your mind?"

"You bet. I've got to start thinking about colleges next year, you know. I figure if I read enough of these, I should be able to get into UDub." She made a show of biting her lip and crossing her fingers.

"Hey, that's low! UDub is more of a _Cosmo_ school."

Leah raised her eyebrows. "I'm terrified you even know what that means."

"Shouldn't there be some kind of affirmative action for you, anyway?" Embry joked. "I mean, how many vampires apply to college?"

Nessie grinned. "Currently or on average?"

"Aw, that doesn't matter," Jake told them with a smirk. "Ness is only interested in party schools now."

"Shut _up_!" Nessie cried, but she was still grinning. "Jeez, you make one mistake and they never let you forget it."

"I think by the time I got to that party, you'd had about six 'mistakes.'"

"Hey." Nessie was suddenly stern. "_Ten_. I'm not a lightweight."

Seth's eyes went wide. "You had _ten_ drinks?"

Nessie shrugged, looking pleased with herself. Jake didn't let that last long.

"Now tell them how many times you puked."

Nessie shot him a wounded look as Embry, Leah and Seth cracked up.

"I'm going to punch you in the kidney."

Jake laughed and reached into the car to give her a hand out.

"Oh, baby, you say the sweetest things."

Nessie didn't answer, but Leah thought she saw her blush as Jake helped her out of the car. Before Leah could decide for sure, they were all distracted by Billy's voice from the house.

"Jake! Becky's on the phone!" he called.

Jake frowned and headed out of the garage. "Be back in a sec."

"So, Seth," Nessie said as the four of them trailed after Jake, "when are we going to have that rematch?"

Seth tried to tweak Nessie's nose and she swatted him away with a grin.

"Aw, c'mon, Nessie," Seth teased. "I don't want to hurt a _girl_."

"Well, gosh - neither do I, Seth, but here we both are."

"Oh,_ burn_!" Embry announced appreciatively, and Leah couldn't help laughing in spite of herself.

"Oh, that's how it is, huh, Cullen?" Seth grinned, bouncing from foot to foot like a boxer.

"That's how it is," Nessie agreed. Her eyes were sparkling, but she didn't move an inch.

Suddenly, Seth lunged and Nessie twirled away, smacking him lightly on the back.

Seth stumbed forward with a laugh, but he stopped goofing around and turned in a crouch, watching for an opening.

After a moment, he made a grab for Nessie's arms, but she dodged him and went low, sweeping a leg at his feet. Seth jumped, then turned it into a lunge that took Nessie to the ground. She managed to get one knee against his chest to propel him off of her, and then they were both crouching again, grinning at each other.

"Hey!"

Jake's voice made all of them straighten up immediately, even Nessie. He was striding down the lawn, his eyes narrowed. As he got closer and saw that Nessie was smiling, his face relaxed. Seth shot him an apologetic grin.

"Knock it off," Jake said lightly, wrapping an arm around Nessie's shoulders. "If you two kill each other, I'm not cleaning it up."

"Don't worry," Nessie said, sliding a wink at Seth. "I wouldn't have hurt him."

Seth made an indignant squawk, which everyone ignored.

"You've gotten pretty good," Leah told Nessie, a little surprised. After their freaky-ass mindmeld in the woods a few years back, Leah had never offerred to train Thing in self-defense again. She had sort of assumed Thing had gotten bored of the idea anyway. Apparently not.

Nessie shrugged, leaning into Jake. His arm tightened around her shoulders.

"Well, you know," she said with a modest smile, "I work out."

"What did Becky want?" Embry asked.

Jake sighed. "She's coming early." He was telling all of them, Leah guessed, but he was looking at Nessie, whose smile had frozen in place.

Embry frowned. "How early?"

"Tomorrow," Jake said. "She got this really good deal from some friend of hers who works for the airline. Apparently no one wants spend the Fourth of July on a plane."

"Just us natives, huh?" Seth joked, but it fell flat. They'd all caught the jittery feeling of Jake and Nessie's anxiety.

Three years ago, Becky had met Jake's sweet little eight-year-old pal Nessie. Now the sweet little freak was fifteen, and looked old for her age.

"I'm sure she won't remember you," Jake said, giving Nessie's shoulders an extra squeeze before he let her go.

"Sure," Nessie agreed. She shot him a reassuring smile. "Of course she won't."

Leah and Embry exchanged a look and Leah shook her head. There was no point suggesting Nessie just didn't come over while Becky was visiting. Oh, the magical pull of imprinting. Leah snorted. How ever did the rest of them survive without it?

* * *

Two days later, Leah was in the sweltering kitchen with her Mom, cooking like crazy for Becky's welcome back party. Even with all the doors and windows open, Leah's hair was plastered to her neck and forehead, and she could feel warm drops of sweat sliding between her shoulderblades and soaking her bra. She wished it was just a normal day so she could spend it in the water, like any sane person. But no – of course they all had to celebrate the return of the prodigal Becky Black. Like taking a six hour flight deserved a freaking medal.

By three o'clock, everything was more or less finished, and Leah switched off the oven with relief. Not that it made much difference. She was starting to think that it was just as hot outside as it was in this godforsaken kitchen.

"I'm going to shower before Charlie gets here with the car," Mom said. "I promise I'll be quick."

"Great," Leah muttered, too hot to put much effort into being sarcastic. "I'll just be here, melting quietly."

Their ancient window fan didn't do much besides look vintage, but Leah stood in front of it anyway, hoping to at least make her sweat a little cooler. All that did was plaster her clothes to her body. She bent over and held the collar of her tank top open so the fan blew down her shirt.

Her eyes drifted closed as she finally started to cool down. She sighed, twisting her head around to cool the back of her neck.

"Hot," Embry remarked as Leah bolted upright. He was standing in the back door, his face flushed and his bare chest shining with sweat.

"I mean in here," Embry elaborated with a smirk when Leah just stared at him.

"Obviously," she agreed, arching an eyebrow and trying to act like Embry hadn't just seen her flashing a window fan. Her stomach squirmed at the sight of his long, smooth muscles, and she tried not to stare at the curve of his hipbone where it disappeared into his cutoffs.

They stared at each other for a long moment, Embry's gaze pinning her in place. Leah felt herself start to sweat again. This fan was a piece of shit.

They both jumped at the sound of Mom's footsteps on the stairs, and Leah managed to drag her eyes away from Embry.

"Hey, Sue," Embry said, acting all casual as Mom appeared in the kitchen. Maybe Leah had imagined the tension between them. "Charlie got tied up running the grill. I said I'd drive over and help you guys carry this stuff."

"That's great, Embry, thanks."

Leah looked back at Embry, and then regretted it when she saw the way he was looking at her. She definitely hadn't been imagining the tension.

"I need a shower," Leah announced. Mom and Embry both stared at her. "I won't be long. You guys go ahead without me."

Leah tried to relax under the cool spray of the water. It was no big deal. The boys went shirtless all the time. She hardly noticed Jake or Quil's bodies at all, and obviously Seth, Brady and Collin had always just been little boys to her. But Embry... Embry was...

Distracting. That was all. It was too hot, she wasn't thinking straight, and Embry's body was distracting her from the doomed reality of any attempt at romance either of them was stupid enough to try. She needed to stop thinking about him.

Leah gave a firm nod as she shut off the shower. She wasn't some stupid, hormone-crazed, mindless love-slave. She had no imprint – she was in control. She wouldn't think about Embry anymore. End of story.

* * *

That was easier said than done. No sooner had Leah arrived at the Blacks' place than Embry bounded over, grinning and still shirtless, bringing her a cold soda. Leah tried to smile as she forced herself to look away from Embry's bare chest and surveyed the crowd.

"Where's Becky?"

"Inside with Rachel," Embry said. "I went in there earlier to put some stuff in the fridge, but I think there were having a _family moment_." He curled his fingers into air quotes around the last two words.

Anyone else might think that Embry meant the twins had been having a heart-to-heart. Leah knew Embry's definition of "family" a little better.

"What were they fighting about?"

Embry shrugged. "Beats me – they weren't talking, but it felt pretty awkward. Paul looked like he couldn't remember how to leave."

"Pretty sure that's just Paul's face."

Embry laughed, making his hair fall into his eyes, which were warm and bright and looking straight into hers.

Leah's heart throbbed against her ribs and she looked away, taking a deep breath.

"You okay?" Embry asked.

"Yeah, of course. Oh, hey, look, there's Seth."

She headed for her brother at what she hoped was a normal speed. Seth was standing by the food with Jake, Quil and Nessie, all four of them laughing at something that Leah could not have cared less about. She just needed to get away from Embry.

That might have been easier if he hadn't been following her. Leah pretended not to notice, sliding into the circle of the pack.

The Cullens had apparently done some big Fourth of July fireworks bonanza last night up near the Canadian border, and Nessie kept the boys in stitches with stories about her uncles' borderline pyromania.

Leah tried to focus on Nessie, but her eyes kept drifting to Embry. The bright flash of his smile, the way he flicked his hair out of his eyes when he finished laughing, the shadows that shifted around every muscle as the sun went down... Embry talked with his hands when he was excited, and as he told a story about him, Jake and Quil starting a fire inside an empty can of paint thinner when they were twelve, Leah watched his long, thin fingers paint shapes in the air. It felt like ages since he'd touched her.

Leah bit her lip, hard. He didn't touch her because she'd told him not to. She was acting as horny and pathetic as the imprinted boys.

As Leah dragged her eyes away from Embry's hands, she spotted Becky over his shoulder.

Leah blinked, startled by the expression on the older girl's face. She looked... worried, pained – maybe even... disgusted?

Shit. Rachel hadn't told her anything about the pack, had she? Of course not – it was as much her secret as theirs. And anyway, they would have discussed it in Council before anyone told Becky anything.

Leah glanced around their small group, trying to figure out what had upset Becky so much. The stories the guys were telling about past stunts were stupid, but not offensive. Even Nessie, who had been raised by old, prissy vampires, only looked a little grossed out by Quil's story about setting his farts on fire.

"Please tell me you've never done that," Leah heard Nessie murmur to Jake.

Jake scoffed. "Uh, of _course_ not. And if I had, I definitely wouldn't have set my pants on fire."

Nessie elbowed him, then dodged away with a shriek when he tried to tickle her. Leah looked back at Becky in time to see her walk away.

The sun finally went down, taking some of the heat out of the air. This seemed to be the signal for the boys to start a bonfire down by the garage, but Leah hung back, wanting to stay cool a little while longer. She watched Embry help Jake arrange the logs and kindling while the other guys goofed around. Even in the dark, she could see the set of his jaw as he worked on something he was really good at. Or maybe she'd just seen it enough times to imagine it clearly.

The first big pops echoed up the lawn as the fire caught. After a few minutes, other people began wandering down the slope to the bonfire. Leah joined them, falling into step with Becky.

"Nice to be back?"

Becky looked surprised, but not upset like she had before.

"Oh, absolutely," she said with an insincere smile. "It's just like coming home."

Leah didn't miss her phrasing. It was 'like' coming home, but not really. "So, you're hating every second?" she guessed.

Becky frowned at Leah like she was trying to figure her out. Leah tried to look innocently interested.

"No," Becky said after a few seconds too long. "It's good to be back. It's just… it's hard, too, you know?"

They'd reached the edge of the fire. Leah looked around at everyone, trying to imagine what it would be like to leave and then come back to find her family and friends bonded in a way she couldn't understand. There had been a few years there when she'd envied Becky for getting away. Now she felt something that she thought was a lot like pity.

"I can imagine. A lot of things will never change around here. But a lot of things really do."

"Like that?" Becky muttered. Leah turned to see Becky glaring across the circle at the pack.

Not the pack, she realized. At Jacob and Nessie. They were sitting side by side, as usual, and Jake was whispering something in Nessie's ear that made her burst out laughing. She put her hand on his knee and Jacob slid his fingers between hers, tracing them.

Holy shit. When had that happened? Leah thought back to earlier – Jake and Nessie leaning into each other while they talked to the pack, Jake getting worked up about Nessie and Seth wrestling, Nessie and Jake bickering in the garage… But that was just normal for them – they were always like that.

Leah forced herself to snort like Becky had said something ridiculous. Whatever was going on, her priority now was damage control.

"They're not screwing, if that's what you're thinking," she said. She was definitely sure of that.

Becky winced, but held her ground. "You're telling me they act like that and they're _not_ together?"

Leah's narrowed her eyes. "Jacob would never do that."

"How come you're so sure?"

Leah glanced back across the fire, where Nessie was tossing marshmallows high into the air and she and Jake were competing to catch them in their mouths.

"Because he's Jacob," Leah said, feeling relieved that for now, at least, it was true.

Without waiting for Becky's response, she stood up and walked around the edge of the fire, joining the pack on the other side. Jake and Nessie's marshmallow toss had gotten a little out of hand as Seth and Brady joined in, and there was a lot of shoving and laughing and marshmallows ending up on the ground. Leah kept her eyes on Jake and Nessie, trying to decide if there was any truth to what Becky thought she had seen.

It was kind of hard to tell. Jake had always mirrored Nessie's facial expressions, and Nessie had always hung on Jacob's every word. Leah could imagine how that would look to an outsider now that Nessie looked so much older than she really was.

But then Leah started to notice it, too. Subtle differences in the way Jake watched Nessie, and the way she looked at him. When Nessie leaned her head on Jake's shoulder, it wasn't because she was up past her bedtime. When he put his arm around her, it wasn't just to keep her warm. When he watched her mouth, he was no longer simply waiting for his cue to smile or frown.

Leah knew she should be disgusted, or at least angry about the new way the imprint was twisting Jake's free will. Instead, she just felt empty and alone. If she was angry at all – her stomach twisted as she realized – it was because what was growing between Jake and Nessie could never happen for her and Embry. It was so unbelievably, fucking unfair.

She let her eyes slide over to Embry where he sat between Quil and Jared. He was twisting a few blades of grass between his fingers, his head bowed as he listened to their conversation. Quil said something that Leah didn't register – it must have been a joke, because Embry laughed, the shadows on his back shivering across his smooth, brown skin. He glanced up at the others, flicking his hair out of his eyes, but Jared and Kim were kissing, and Paul and Rachel were, too, and Embry looked down again, his head bent over his hands. He kept twisting the blades of grass until, one by one, they all snapped in two.

The party started to break up around eleven as the non-pack members trickled away. Jake had gone at ten thirty to take Nessie home, and Leah had seen their fingers tangle together as they walked off into the darkness.

Leah had taken their seats in the circle, and with people coming and going and shuffling around, it hadn't been long before she'd found herself sitting next to Embry.

"Hey," he said, sliding over to her.

"Hey."

"Good night?"

Leah shrugged. "Weird night."

"Same."

She looked over to see him smiling, his eyes intent on her face. She smiled and looked away. They didn't say much after that – just sat in the middle of the chattering, laughing crowd, silent and oblivious to everything but the heat that was building between them.

Leah was sure Embry felt it too. She could hear his heartbeat as loud as her own, and when she shifted to let Emily get past, her leg brushed against Embry's and he didn't move away. She could feel her skin tingling along her calf where their legs touched. The tingling traveled up, across her thighs and into her stomach, over her breasts and into her head until she felt drunk with it.

When Paul pointed out that the fire was going down, Leah jumped up to get more firewood from the garage.

She knew immediately that Embry had followed her. Wolf senses made plausible deniability pretty tough. It was also hard to deny that she'd known why he was following her, or to pretend that she was surprised when he grabbed her hand, pulled her around to face him, and kissed her hard on the mouth.

She pulled him deeper into the garage and they stumbled over tools and boxes in the dark, laughing in breathless little bursts against each other's lips until Leah's back hit the workbench.

Embry pressed against her, his warm, rough hands sliding up and down her back, making her shirt ride up. Their mouths crashed together again and again, lips and tongues and teeth, as Leah twisted her fingers into Embry's hair to bring him closer.

Leah hopped up onto the workbench and wrapped her thighs around Embry's hips, pulling him against her. Embry groaned and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"Leah," he sighed. "Leahleahleahleahleah…"

"Shut up and kiss me," she gasped, or maybe she just thought it – either way, Embry obeyed, nipping and licking his way up her neck until he reached the sensitive spot under her ear. Leah bit her lip to keep from moaning like a teenager.

Embry's mouth was back on hers. Leah nibbled his lip, then did it again when his fingers clenched convulsively on her thigh. She wriggled closer, trying to get him to move his hand further up, and Embry groaned again.

Leah ran her fingers down his back, tracing the contours of his shoulder blades, his muscles, the long, smooth furrow of his spine. Embry moved his hand over her hip and along her waist, going slowly like he thought she might pull away if he went too fast. Leah kissed him harder, trying to reassure him that there was nothing he could do right now that would make her pull away from this flood of sensation and bliss.

His hand hesitated at the base of her breast, and Leah almost laughed at the teenagerly sweetness of him not wanting to rush her into second base.

"Leah?" he mumbled against her mouth, the word so garbled that she hardly recognized her own name – she just knew it was a question, and that her answer was already yes.

"I love you."

Leah's back went rigid, yanking her away from Embry's warm, soft mouth as her eyes prickled with tears.

"Don't," she whispered, but it was too late. He'd already said it, and nothing either of them could do would take it back.

"I can't help it," Embry said, his voice rough and uneven. He took his hands off Leah's waist and stepped back. Leah could see the outline of his face even in the near-total darkness of the garage. She could hear his unsteady breathing. She was pretty sure she'd stopped breathing altogether.

Embry wasn't finished.

"When I go to the malls and the parks and look at girls," he said in a rush, "I don't look at them and think, 'damn, I hope one of them will make me feel like Paul feels or like Jared feels or, hell, even like Quil feels.' When I look at them, I just keep thinking, 'god, I wish one of them could make me feel like Leah does.'"

Leah's stomach felt hollowed out and dried up, like a Jack o' Lantern on Halloween. Trick or treat? Good question.

"What do you want me to say?"

Embry's fingers twitched like he wanted to touch her, but he didn't. When he spoke, his voice shook. "What you feel. The truth. I mean… do you feel something for me?"

Leah couldn't lift her gaze from the floor.

"I don't know."

"That's bullshit," Embry snapped. "You either feel something or you don't."

Leah's head jerked up and she gave him a furious glare. "Oh, so you've got it all figured out, huh? It's that easy?"

"It could be," Embry said, his voice turning sullen.

Leah straightened up to look him in the eye.

"Well, let me make it even simpler for you," she spat. "We get together. Maybe things are good for a while. Then you meet some random chick, and it's like I never even existed, and you get to move on, but I can't."

"I would never-"

"Don't say that!" Leah yelled, trying to smother the sob that hitched in her chest. "Don't lie! You know you would. And you could feel awful about it, but it wouldn't change anything. What you're asking me to do is keep you company while you wait. And my answer is no."

Before she could change her mind or break down completely, she strode out of the garage and into the woods.

She didn't phase. She just ran until her lungs wore out, then collapsed on the soft, wet earth and stared up at the leaves. She was too exhausted to cry, and there wasn't much point anyway. Crying had never done her any good.


End file.
